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A  DEFENCE 


"  OF 

THE  DRAMA, 

CONTAINING 

MANSEL'S  FREE  THOUGHTS, 

EXTRACTS 

From  the    most   Celebrated    Writers, 

AND 

A     DISCOURSE 

on  the 

OF    FLATS, 

BY     THE      CELEBRATED 

FATHER  CAFFARO, 

Divinity  Professor  at  Paris. 


*«  Nothing  can  more  strongly  prove  the  importance  of  Dramatic  amuse- 
ments, than  the  opposite  opinions  entertained  on  the  subject. — Opinions  that 
have  uniformly  run  like  parallel  lines  for  centuries,  unbending  and  with- 
out the  smallest  inclination  to-  converge  ;  From  a  tejiecting  mind  this  vieto 
of  it  alone  must  claim  the  most  serious  investigation." 


NEW-YORK. 

PUBLISHED  BY  GEORGE  CHAMPLEY, 

196   BROADWAY. 

1826, 


\rt 


SOUTHERN  DISTRICT  OF  NEW-YORK,  $$. 

Be  it  remembered,  that  on  the   30th   day  < 
November,  A.    D.    1825,   in  the  50th  year  of  th 

1C|  Independence  of  the  United  States  of  Amend 
■  9a  George  Champley  of  the  said  district  hath  deposi 
ed  in  this  office  the  title  of  a  book,  the  right  where 
of  he  claims  as  Proprietor,  in  the  words  following,  to  wit:- 
"A  Defence  of  the  Drama,  containing  Mansel's  Frc 
Thoughts,  Extracts  from  the  most  Celebrated  Writers,  an 
a  Discourse  on  the  lawfulness  and  unlawfulness  of  plays,  h 
the  celebrated  Father  CafTaro,  Divinity  Professor  s 
Paris.  "  Nothing  can  more  strongly  prove  the  importanc 
of  Dramatic  amusements,  than  the  opposite  opimor 
entertained  on  the  subject.— Opinions  that  have  uniforml 
run  like  parallel  lines  for  centuries,  unbending  and  withoi 
the  smallest  inclination  to  converge ;  From  a  reflecting  mil 
this  view  of  it  alone  must  claim  the  most  serious  investigi 
tion." 

In  conformity  to  the  act  of  the  Congress  of  the  Unite 
States,  entitled,  "  an  act  for  the  encouragement  of  learninj 
by  securing  the  copies  of  maps,  charts  and  books,  to  tl 
authors  and  proprietors  of  such  copies,  during  the  time  then 
in  mentioned."  And  also  to  an  act,  entitled,  "  an  act  suppl 
mentary  to  an  act,  entitled,  an  act  for  the  encouragement 
learning,  by  securing  the  copies  of  maps,  charts  and  bool 
to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such  copies,  during  the  tirm 
therein  mentioned,  and  extending  the  benefits  thereof  to  tl 
arts  of  designing,  engraving,  and  etching  historical  at 

other  prints." 

r  JAMES  DILL, 

Clerk  of  the  Southern  District  of  New- York 


TO  THE  MANAGERS, 
PROFESSORS, 
SUPPORTERS, 

ajsi>  friejvjds, 

OF  THE 


mmAWAi 


THIS  COLLECTION  IS 

RESPECTFULLY  INSCRIBED: 
By  an  unknown  supporter  and  friend  to  the  Stage. 


NEW- YORK,  February,  1826, 


M211441   ' 


ADVERTISEMENT. 

THE  appearance  of  this  collection  at  the 
present  time,  arose  from  the  late  pitiful  at- 
tempts to  subvert  the  drama,  under  the  hy- 
pocritical mask  of  morality,  and  hostility  to 
an  individual. 

The  following  pages  are  chiefly  Extracts 
from  a  number  of  works,  which  the  compi- 
ler has  had  the  pleasure  to  peruse. 

Except  some  trifling  local  omissions, 
Mansei's  "Free  Thoughts"  are  included, 
and  numerous  quotations  from  the  most  ce- 
lebrated christian  and  moral  writers,  which 
will  add  weight  in  favor  of  the  utility  of 
the  stage.  It  was  the  object  of  Mr.  Mansel 
to  draw  the  attention  of  the  Stage  oppo- 
nents to  the  point  at  once;  whether  drama- 
B 


tic  amusements  are  diametrically  opposite 
to  Religion  and  morality,  or  are  they  to  be 
considered  as  handmaids  in  the  cause  of 
gradually  reforming  the  vicious  part  of 
mankind. 


In  Mr.  Mansel's  address  to  the  public  on  the  publi- 
cation of  his  "Free  Thoughts,"  he  expresses  his  obli- 
gations to  Mr.  Mathews,  for  his  kindness  in  furnish- 
ing him  with  corrections  and  additions  to  certain  parts 
in  the  body  of  the  work.  As  to  the  latter  gentleman, 
on  his  late  visit  to  our  shores,  his  amiable  and  unas- 
suming deportment,  gained  the  esteem  of  moat  classes 
of  the  community  that  had  the  pleasure  of  his  acquain- 
tance ;  and  in  his  "Trip  to  America,"  has  evinced  the 
feelings  of  a  man,  by  tolerating  those,  who,  had  they 
the  power,  would  not  have  tolerated  him. 


TO  STAGE  PROFESSORS. 

I  will  first  address  the  Stage  Professors 
themselves,  upon  their  candour,  good  sense 
and  good  nature.  I  throw  myself  for  par- 
don, trusting  they  will  forgive  my  temerity 
in  presuming  to  instruct  the  instructors.  I 
would  entreat  you,  as  you  value  the  honor 
and  dignity  of  the  stage,  to  combine  serious- 
ly in  removing  the  very  few  obstructions  and 
impediments  remaining,  to  make  it  what  it 
ought  to  be — the  vehicle  of  pleasure  and 
profit.  In  many  of  the  old  dramas,  there  are 
expressions,  sentences  and  scenes,  which 
chastity  itself  did  not  shrink  from,  at  the 
period  when  they  were  written.  "  Those 
who  intend  no  wrong,  fear  none."  Let  us 
hope  that  it  is  not  the  appearance  of  delica- 
cy, but  the  refinement  of  it,  which  makes 
the  present  generation,  shrink  from  that 
which  gave  their  ancestors  delight. 


Your  professional  studies  have  compel- 
led you  to  become  intimately  acquainted 
with  these  old  comedies ;  hence  you  have 
become  gradually  familiar  with  phrases 
and  equivocal  language,  very  offensive  to 
the  ears  of  those,  who,  from  want  of  leisure, 
inclination,  or  opportunity,  have  not  been 
in  the  habit  of  perusing  the  humour  of  our 
forefathers.  Those  passages  should  always 
be  omitted,  and  every  expression  repug- 
nant to  delicacy,  carefully  expunged. 

Swearing  is  another  impropriety,  that 
should  be  banished  from  the  stage — these 
senseless  expletives,  obnoxious  to  the  ears 
of  a  gentleman,  and  particularly  brutal  in 
the  presence  of  a  female. 

Avoid  all  such  vulgar  substitutes  for  wit 
and  humour;  you  do  not  want  them ;  your 
stock  of  entertainment  is  inexhaustible, 
and  you  are  not  driven  to  have  recourse  to 


such  miserable  subterfuges.  Do  not  spare 
the  pruning  knife  on  such  occasions ;  you 
will  soon  sensibly  feel  your  account  in  it. 

Purify  the  old  drama,  do  not  fear  weak- 
ening it :  the  very  rinsings  will  be  strong 
enough  for  this  dull,  polemical  age. 

The  Dramatist,  the  Actor,  and  the 
Painter,  are  all  bound  by  the  just  rules  of 
their  profession,  to  give  a  true  picture  of 
nature;  but  they  are  not  bound  to  give  her 
in  her  worst  dress,  or  her  most  inelegant 
attitude.  To  portray  a  beggar,  it  is  not  re- 
quisite to  retain  all  his  filth.  Therefore  a 
Bond-street  lounger,  a  hearty  farmer,  or  even 
a  sailor,  can  be  very  well  represented  with- 
out the  usual  accompaniment  of  an  oath. 

But  it  is  from  the  propriety  of  your  pri- 
vate conduct,  after  all,  that  the  greatest  re- 
volution in  your  favour  must  be  accom- 
plished.— I  am  well  aware  that  you  are  a"s 


untainted  with  vices,  or  as  uncontaminated 
with  wilful  error,  as  any  of  your  neighbours, 
be  tbey  whom  they  may :  still  there  are 
too  many  of  you,  inattentive  and  negligent 
to  the  choice  of  society ;  the  lowest  and 
the  most  vicious,  are  too  often  your  com- 
panions; you  know  not  the  injury  you  do 
yourselves,  by  becoming  so  easy  of  access. 
Had  you  but  the  resolution  to  live  a  little 
more  to  yourselves,  instead  of  seeking,  you 
would  be  sought  for.  But  this  is  by  no 
means  a  general  charge;  there  are  many 
of  you,  who  live  the  most  retired  and  do- 
mesticated lives,  and,  if  it  should  ever  oc- 
cur, (which  is  seldom  the  case,)  that  the 
public  do  not  appreciate  it,  the  individual 
has,  at  least,  the  conscious  pride  of  know- 
ing that  he  has  done  his  duty." 

"  These  are  the  suggestions  of  a  sincere 
friend  to  the  profession ;  an  ardent  admirer 
of  the  drama,  and  a  real  well  wisher  to  all 
its  retainers." 


ON  JUDGMENTS. 

Chelate  extensive  destruction  of  Thea- 
tres by  fire  in  this  country,  is  a  very  fertile 
subject  with  those  who  presume  to  lay  open 
the  inscrutible  ways  of  providence.  It  is 
true  they  followed  each  other  with  a  rapidity 
unparalleled  in  the  annals  of  scenic  repre- 
sentation ;  but,  is  there  any  thing  in  these 
events,  that  common  sense  cannot  compre- 
hend. The  hand  of  the  incendiary  has  been 
accused  in  some  of  these  instances,  and 
probably  not  without  a  just  cause.  "  We 
cannot  be  guilty  of  a  greater  act  of  un- 
charitableness,  than  to  interpret  the  afflic- 
tions which  befall  our  neighbours  as  punish- 
ments and  j  udgments :  it  aggravates  the  evil 
to  him  who  suffers,  when  he  looks  upon 
himself  as  the  particular  object  of  divine 
vengeance,  and  abates  the  compassion 
of  those  towards  him   who  regard  him  in 


g 

so  dreadful  a  light.  This  humour  of  turn- 
ing every  misfortune  into  a  judgment, 
proceeds  from  wrong  notions  of  religion ; 
which  in  its  own  nature  produces  goodwill 
towards  men,  and  puts  the  mildest  con- 
struction upon  every  accident  that  befalls 
them.  In  this  case,  it  is  not  religion  that 
sours  a  man's  temper,  but  it  is  his  temper 
which  sours  his  religion. 

People  of  gloomy  uncheerful  imagina- 
tions, or  of  envious  malignant  tempers, 
whatever  kind  of  life  they  are  engaged  in, 
will  discover  their  natural  tincture  of  mind 
in  all  their  thoughts,  words,  and  actions  : 
as  the  finest  wines  have  often  the  taste  of 
the  soil,  so'even  the  most  religious  thoughts, 
often  draw  something  that  is  particular, 
from  the  constitution  of  the  mind  in  which 
they  arise.  When  folly  or  superstition 
strike  in  with  this  natural  depravity  of  tem- 
per, it  is  not  in  the  power  even  of  religion 


0 

itself,  to  preserve  the  character  of  the  per- 
son who  is  possessed  with  it,  from  appear- 
ing highly  absurd  and  ridiculous. 

If  the  stage  opponents  will  still  persist 
in  drawing  conclusions  by  no  means  liberal, 
will  they  please  to  ponder  on  the  following 
short  catalogue  of  human  misery. 

The  two  Theatres  in  London  were  both 
burnt  down  within  a  year  of  each  other, 
when  they  were  completely  unoccupied 
by  actors  and  spectators.  Do  these  fires  de- 
mand the  necessity  of  ranking  them  among 
the  chastisements  of  the  Almighty?  Is  it  not 
a  well  known  fact,  that  several  Churches  in 
New- York  and  other  places,  have  fallen 
under  the  ravages  of  the  same  devouring 
element.  "  In  1787,  Bury  Theatre  fell  down 
and  buried  three  hundred  people  under  its 
ruins — Five  were  killed.  The  floor  of 
a  meeting  house  gave  way   at   Leeds,  in 


10 

1796.  and  killed  sixteen  women,  a  man, 
and  a  child. 

We  all  remember  the  steeple  of  a  church 
in  Liverpool  falling  in ;  and  the  greatest  num- 
ber of  the  killed  were  children,  who  were 
repeating  their  catechism.  It  is  not  a  cen- 
tury since  the  earthquake  at  Lisbon  swal- 
lowed up,  in  the  short  space  of  eight  minutes, 
whole  streets,  and  destroyed  fifty  thousand 
of  its  inhabitants.  About  the  year  1785, 
a  number  of  people  were  assembled  at  Win- 
ster,  in  England,  to  see  a  puppet-show, 
when  the  upper  part  of  the  house  (which 
contained  the  exhibition)  was  blown  oft  by 
the  accidental  explosion  of  gun  powder,  and 
not  a  single  person  was  injured. 

St.  Paul's  cathedral  has  been  burnt,  not 
less  than  three  times,  and  once  considera- 
bly injured  by  lightning. 


11 

Greenwich  Hospital  had  its  steeple  and 
one  of  its  quadrangles  burnt  down,  and  it 
was  with  difficulty,  any  part  of  the  build- 
ing could  be  preserved;  and  in  1813,  the 
church  and  steeple  were  struck  by  light- 
ning and  most  materially  damaged. 

What  conclusions  will  they  presume  to 
draw  from  these  few  instances,  where  we 
find  Churches,  Hospitals,  and  Theatres, 
liable  to  the  same  awful  visitations?  Are  we 
to  conclude  that  the  congregation  at  Leeds 
were  more  wicked  than  the  audience  at 
Bury?  That  the  fifty  thousand,  who  pe- 
rished at  Lisbon,  were  all  objects  of  divine 
wrath  and  the  spectators  at  the  puppet  show 
all  so  meritoriously  employed  that  they 
escaped  punishment  ?  Absurd  ! — We  find 
ourselves  surrounded  by  a  continual  exhi- 
bition of  phenomena,  inexplicable  in  them- 
selves and  perplexing  to  the  wisest. 


12 

To  draw  conclusions  without  knowing 
the  premises,  betrays  ignorance — to  make 
uncharitable  constructions  upon  the  secret 
movements  of  the  Deity,  evinces  any  thing 
but  the  mild  principles  of  Christianity.  Let 
us  rather  reverentially  repeat  the  words  of 
the  great  bard,  which  he  has  piously  put 
into  the  mouth  of  one  of  his  characters — 
"The  will  of  God  be  done  in  this  and  all 
things." 

The  unfortunate  affair  at  Richmond  is  passed  over, 

as  it  is  not  my  wish  to  inflict  an  unnecessary  pang",  by 

remarks  on  that  melancholy  event. 

D.  F. 


ON  AMUSEMENTS. 

"Pleasure  and  recreation  of  one  kind  or 
other,  are  absolutely  necessary  to  relieve 
our  minds  and  bodies  from  too  constant  at- 
tention and  labour.  When,  therefore,  pub- 
lic diversions  are  tolerated,  it  behoves  per- 
sons of  distinction,  with  their  power  and 
example,  to  preside  over  them  in  such  a 
manner,  as  to  check  any  thing  that  tends  to 
the  corruption  of  manners,  or  which  is  too 
mean  and  trivial  for  the  entertainment  of 
reasonable  creatures."  Luther,  upon  most 
subjects,  would  be  attended  to  with  respect 
if  not  with  conviction  :  one  wou'.d  imagine 
his  view  of  the  stage,  alone  would  induce 
the  serious  part  of  the  community  to  attend 
to  the  direction  of  the  stage,  not  to  its  des- 
truction.— He  says  that  in  "  Comedies,  par- 
ticularly in  those  of  the  Roman  writers,  the 
duties  of  the  various  situations  of  life,  are 


14 

held  out  to  view,  and  as  it  were  reflected 
from  a  mirror.  The  office  of  parents  and 
the  proper  conduct  of  children,  are  faithful- 
ly delineated ;  and,  what  to  young  men  may 
be  advantageous,  the  views  and  characters 
of  profligate  women,  are  exhibited  in  their 
true  colours.  Excellent  lessons  are  given 
to  them,  how  they  should  conduct  them- 
selves towards  virtuous  women  in  court- 
ship. Strong  exhortations  to  matrimony  are 
brought  forward,  without  which  state  no 
government  can  subsist.  Celibacy  is  the 
plague  of  any  nation." 

What  does  the  amiable  Watts  say  on 
this  long  contested  theme  ?  "It  is  granted 
that  a  dramatic  representation  of  the  affairs 
of  human  life,  is  by  no  means  sinful  in  it- 
self. I  am  inclined  to  think,  that  valuable 
compositions  might  be  made  of  this  kind, 
such  as  might  entertain  an  audience  with 
innocent  delight,  and  even  with  real  profit 


15 

Such  have  been  written  in  French  and  have, 
in  times  past,   been  acted  with  applause." 

Is  this  authority  to  go  for  nothing  ? 

What  does  Addison  say  of  the  stage? 
He  complains  of  its  licentiousness,  but  ob- 
serves "Were  our  plays  subject  to  proper 
inspections  and  limitations,  we  might  not 
only  pass  away  several  of  our  vacant  hours 
in  the  highest  entertainments,  but  should 
always  rise  from  them  wiser  and  better  than 
when  we  sat  down  to  them/' 

Can  the  opponents  of  the  drama  produce 
an  individual  in  the  long  catalogue  of  moral 
writers,  that  has  laboured  with  greater  assi- 
duity to  reform  the  manners  of  the  vicious, 
than  "  Hannah  More."  She  has  not  only 
wrote  plays,  but  even  dramatized  the 
"Holy  Scriptures"!  and  had  this  a  ten- 
dency to  alienate  the  regard  and  affections 


16 

of  her  friends?  No;  it  gained  her  the  ac- 
quaintance and  friendship  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished characters  of  the  British  nation; 

and  even  the  highest  dignitaries  of  the  church 

• 

in  this  country,  as  well  as  in  Europe,  have 
thought  it  an  honour  to  be  ranked  amongst 
her  list  of  friends  and  ardent  admirers  of 
her  works.  And  are  we  to  imagine  for  a  mo- 
ment, that  she  considered  herself  as  acting 
opposite  to  the  principles  of  Christianity^ 
or  even  weakening  the  foundations  of  mo-* 
rality,  by  the  composition  of  her  dramatic 
pieces.    Absurd ! 

Her  writings  proclaim  her  to  be,  not  only 
charitable  towards  the  failings  of  her  fel- 
low-creatures, but  likewise  piously  devout. 
A  few  more  such  writers  would  do  more 
good  to  mankind  in  a  few  years,  than  an 
army  of  unlettered  canting  demagogues, 
in  as  many  centuries.  Should  Holcroft's 
drama  of  "  Deaf  and  Dumb  "  ever  be  per- 


17 

formed,  and  those  who  are  the  most  oppos- 
ed would  lay  prejudice  aside,  and  witness 
its  performance,  I  will  venture  to  predict 
that  it  alone,  if  in  the  hands  of  skillful  per- 
formers, would  make  them  converts  to  the 
utility  of  the  stage. 

This  play  is  a  truely  moral  drama,  and 
purifies  the  affections  by  terror  and  pity. 
That  it  is  founded  on  fact,  does  not  lessen 
the  interest,  nor  as  it  ends  happily,  embitter 
the  pleasure;  the  effect  is  greatest  on  the 
stage,  but  it  is  not  confined  to  it ;  in  the 
reading,  it  has  all  the  effect  of  the  most 
romantic  novel."  * 


*  Why  is  this  beautiful  drama  not  brought  for- 
ward ?  some  of  our  performers  in  it  would  certainly 
be  "at home." 


FREE   THOUGHTS 


METHODISTS,    ACTORS, 


THE  INTX.UENCE  OF 


vara  swiia 


AN 

INTRODUCTORY  EPISTLE 

Addressed  to  Mrs , 

Of Castle, 

GLAMORGANSHIRE  ; 

Containing  a  succinct  account  of  the  Origin 
of  the  stage,  with  a  view  of  it  at  the  period, 
when  it  became  an  object  of  reprehension 
to  the  Fathers  of  the  Church.  Also,  a  brief 
examination  of  the  different  opinions  deli- 
vered on  the  subject  of  the  Drama,  by  an- 
cient Philosophers  and  the  earlier  Eccle- 
siastics. 


To  Mrs , 

Castle  y 

GLAMORGANSHIRE. 

Madam, 

When  reflection  casts  back  a  retros- 
pective glance,  through  the  intervening  me- 
dium of  care,  disappointments,  misfor- 
tune, contumely  and  regret,  to  the  tranquil 
period  of  my  life,  passed  under  the  roof  of 
your  pious,  reverend,  and  much  esteemed 
father,  it  arises  to  my  recollection  like  a 
poetical  dream,  or  fairy  vision  of  the  mind. 


24 

The  placid  fleeting  hours,  dedicated  to  a 
reciprocal  exchange  of  thought,  during 
"  that  happy  age,  when  nature  wears  no 
mask,"  serve  to  mark  succeeding  years  of 
anxiety  and  pain  with  a  most  frightful 
chilling  contrast!  Still,  neither  lapse  of 
time,  effect  of  absense,  pressure  of  the 
world,  difference  of  situations, — nothing 
can  banish  the  object  from  my  memory, 
that  once  constituted  the  source,  from 
whence  those  pure  joys  of  innocence  and 
youth  alone  could  emanate  ! 

To  find  you  possessing  rank,  wealth, 
splendour,  talents,  and  accomplishments, 
and  still  retaining  your  native  innocence  of 
mind,  cheerfulness  of  temper,  and  suavity 
of  manner,  is  a  subject  as  much  to  the 
honour  of  human  nature,  as  it  is  consola- 
tory to  your  many  friends. 

I   have  more  than  ever  to  lament  the 


25 

poverty  of  my  genius,  in  not  possessing  taste 
or  powers  to  produce  a  composition,  cal- 
culated to  display  the  high  sense  I  enter- 
tain of  your  worth  and  excellence,  by  an 
open  avowal  of  your  name,  which  would 
at  once  gratify  the  wish  of  my  heart,  and 
excite  an  interest  in  my  favour  that  would 
adorn  and  support  a  much  weaker  cause 
than  the  one  I  have  the  honour  to  advocate. 
But,  proudly  advantageous  as  this  disclo- 
sure would  be,  I  have  neither  the  selfish- 
ness, nor  the  indelicacy  to  implicate  your 
name,  in  a  controversy,  with  opponents  not 
over  precise  in  their  selection  of  abusive 
Epithets,  nor  over  delicate  in  the  mode  of 
conveying  them.  It  is  not  your  rank, 
your  genius,  no  nor  your  philanthropy, 
would  protect  you  from  the  virulence  of 
vulgarism, — ignorance, — -prejudice. — -and 
bigotry,  who,  one — and  all, — would,  with 
closed   eyes,    expanded    ears,    and   open 


25 

mouths,  overwhelm  you  with  froth,  folly, 
venom  and  impertinence! 

Your  knowledge  and  admiration  of  the 
arts,  they  would  term  profane;  your  taste 
in  poetry  and  painting,  heathen  ;  your  skill 
in  music,  useless ;  your  partiality  to  the 
drama,  impious ;  and  your  modest  christian 
demeanour,  faint-hearted,  luke-warm  zeal. 
In  vain,  would  all,  who  are  blessed  with 
your  acquaintance,  urge  your  charities, 
your  exemplary  conduct  as  a  wife  and  a 
mother,  your  assiduous  regard  to  all  the 
relative  duties  of  your  station — in  short, 
that  your  numberless  good  qualities  demand 
the  esteem,  love,  and  admiration,  of  the 
wise,  the  good,  and  the  virtuous.  All 
these,  with  my  opponents,  pass  as  nothing ! 
Dust  in  the  balance ! — filthy  works  !  ! — 
Your  total  want  of  that  lively  faith,  burn- 
ing in  the  fervid  imaginations  of  the  West- 
leyan    and    Whitfieldian    sects,    amounts 


27 

in  this  evangelical  age,  to  such  an  enor- 
mous offence,  as  to  counterbalance  every 
other  virtue,  moral  or  divine,  that  can 
adorn  the  human  breast. — No,  Madam, 
your  religious  education,  has  been  too  well 
grounded;  your  judgment  too  sound;  and 
your  heart  too  pure,  to  participate  in  the 
sensations  of  our  modern  mystic  visiona- 
ries! You  can  prostrate  yourself  before 
your  great  Creator,  with  all  the  rational 
veneration  of  a  virtuous  human  being. 
You  can,  with  all  the  warmth  of  honest 
gratitude,  offer  up  your  feeble  thanks  for 
the  many  blessings  He  has  bestowed  upon 
you. — You  can,  with  a  noble  expansion  of 
feeling,  implore  the  Divine  favour  and 
mercy  upon  all  your  fellow-creatures. 
But  you  would  never  presume  to  hurl 
the  Almighty  vengeance  against  a  poor, 
imperfect, erring  brother!  No,  Madam,  you 
are  too  well  versed  in  the  genuine  princi- 


23 

pies  of  Christianity,  to  become  religiously 
blasphemous  !  Nor  could  you  have  the  in- 
sanity to  transport  yourself,  with  the  fran- 
tic idea  of  beholding  the  various  attributes 
of  the  triune  God.  We  will  leave  these 
anti-christian  flights  to  the  frequenters  and 
supporters  of  band-meetings,  watch-nights, 
and  love-feasts. 

But,  highly  as  I  appreciate  your  worth, 
and  anxious  as  I  have  ever  been  to  express 
my  sense  of  it,  there  is  still  a  selfish  latent 
motive,  which  has  strongly  urged  me  to 
this  covert  address. — I  am  upon  the  point 
of  enduring  the  toil  and  pain  attendant  up- 
on an  unprofitable,  irksome  journey.  Now, 
though  I  purpose  travelling  with  all  possible 
celerity,  yet,  in  the  course  of  my  tour,  I 
shall  have  to  encounter  so  many  disagree- 
ables, and  have  to  wander  through  such  a 
labyrinth  of  absurdities,  that  it  will  require 
every  aid  to   support  me  in  my  progress. 


29 

The  most  pleasing  and  essential  assistance 
I  can  possibly  devise,  is  by  mentally  enjoy- 
ing your  society  during  my  pursuit:  "  By 
bearing  your  idea  ever  present  in  my 
thoughts,  virtue  shall  keep  an  advocate 
within  me.;"  and  as  your  cooler  judgment 
used  frequently  to  check  the  petulance  of 
the  boy,  your  ideal  presence  shall  restrain 
the  impetuosity  of  The  Man.  This  will 
inspire  me  with  confidence  to  accomplish 
my  task,  conquer  difficulties,  and  remove 
impediments  of  every  description.  Thus 
having  fixed  the  plan  to  my  own  wish,  let 
us  proceed ;  I  will  however,  first  of  all  in- 
form you,  that  in  our  rapid  excursion,  we 
shall  enjoy  a  transient  glance  of  those  cities 
so  celebrated  by  historians,  philosophers, 
orators,  poets,  and  painters;  cities  of  your 
earliest  acquaintance,  and  objects  of  your 
more  mature  admiration,  Athens  and  Rome. 

We  shall  converse,  for  a  short  time,  with 


30 

several  of  your  most  intimate  acquaintance ; 

but  they  will  not,  as  usual,  command  that 

attention;  respect  and  delight,  which  you 

have  ever  considered  as  their  just  tribute. 

i 

Forbidding  as  this  prospect  is,  I  am  sorry 
to  say,  it  is  the  most  brilliant  we  shall  enjoy 
in  this  intended  pilgrimage. — When  we 
quit  classical  ground  we  shall  have  to  asso- 
ciate with  strange  beings,  some  of  whom 
will  provoke  your  laughter,  others  your 
anger.  Some  will  excite  your  disgust, 
others  merit  your  contempt,  and  all  will 
ultimately  demand  your  pity. 

Two  centuries  have  nearly  elapsed,  since 
the  notorious  Mr.  Prynne  paid  the  forfei- 
ture of  his  ears  as  a  just  reward  for  his  his- 
trionical  researches  and  personal  inference. 
For  nearly  two  centuries  have  the  opposers 
of  a  theatre  profited  by  Mr.  Prynne's  inde- 
fatigable   industry,  without  the   credit   of 


31 

possessing  his  perseverance  or  the  honour 
of  participating  in  his  punishment.  He 
formed  for  their  benefit  a  reservoir,  sup- 
plied with  the  filth  of  ages,  and  most  amp- 
ly have  they  drawn  from  it,  to  bespatter 
and  defile  the  stage  and  all  its  adherents. 
Ccelum  niare,  fortiter  et  aliquid  ad  haribet. 
For  more  than  two  centuries  have  my  bro- 
ther professors  received  insults  and  provo- 
cations, with  a  silence  to  be  admired,  and  a 
forbearance  under  injuries  to  be  envied. 
Two  centuries  endurance  of  calumny,  give 
evident  proofs  of  mental  superiority  on  one 
side,  and  of  imbecile  persecution  on  the 
other.  But  "  Sufferance  is  the  badge  of  all 
our  tribe."  The  anti-stagers,  upon  the 
authority  of  Mr.  Prynne,  have  been  con- 
stantly hurling  against  the  object  of  their 
hatred,  philippics  and  anathemas  furnished 
them  by  heathen  philosophers  and  chris- 
tian fathers. 


32 

Arming  themselves  with  the  antiquated 
opinions  of  those  ancient  literary  heroes, 
they  have  conceived  their  attacks  fatal,  and 
their  position  impregnable. 

But  surely  this  enlightened  age,  and  this 
advanced  period  of  the  world,  should 
suggest  to  them  the  propriety  of  abandon- 
ing their  worm-eaten  entrenchments,  of 
resigning  their  purloined  weapons,  disband- 
ing their  impotent  auxiliaries,  parting 
with  their  ill-sorted  mercenaries,  and  stand- 
ing fairly  and  openly  before  the  tribunal  of 
rational  religion,  moral  reason,  truth  and 
impartiality  ! — To  this  tribunal  I  cite 
them,  and  if  they  can  prove  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  this  august  assemblage,  that  my  pro- 
fession is  in  opposition  to  the  interests  of 
religion  and  reason,  the  condemnation,  by 
truth  and  impartiality,  must  follow.  To 
their  sentence  1  shall  not  only  respectfully 
submit,  but  make  the  most  ample  atone- 


33 

ment  in  my  power,  by  a  public  confession  of 
my  errors,  renunciation  of  my  pursuits,  and 
reformation  of  my  life.  To  truth  and 
impartiality  I  appeal ;  to  them  I  call  for  a 
fair  and  open  hearing :  and  on  them  I  rely 
for  protection  from  bigotted  ignorance 
and  fanatacal  zeal.  I  must  here  observe  to 
you,  Madam,  that  if  our  opponents  had  one 
particle  of  candour,  or  the  most  distant  love 
for  justice,  they  would  themselves  abandon 
the  idea  of  disturbing,  on  the  present  occa- 
sion, the  repose  of  these  right  reverend 
uuncient  gentry  in  question. 

They  know  in  their  hearts  that  they  hate 
and  despise  the  very  works  they  look  up  to 
for  support  and  protection.*     The  only  de- 


*  It  was  said  of  some  of  the  fathers  in  the  christian 
church,  (who  had  been  philosophers,  the  literati  of 
that  day)  that  they  came  into  Canaan  laden  with  Egyp- 
tian gold.    They  did  so,  and  in  a  little  time  they  per- 

D 


34 

ference  ever  shown  by  the  Methodists  to 
the  fathers  of  the  church,  the  opinions  of 
councils,  or  the  Heathen  philosophers,  is  in 
the  solitary  scattered  sentences,  denoun- 
cing vengeance  against  the  stage.  To  gra- 
tify this  prejudice,  to  feed  this  daring  anti- 
pathy to  plays  and  players,  to  demolish 
this  fatal  engine,  every  agent  is  welcomed  ; 
they  seize  with  avidity  on  every  author; 
however  absurd,  foolish,  or  impious,  Hea- 
then or  Christian,  heretic  or  orthodox,  all 
are  embraced  and  cherished,  if  they  will 
only  bellow  forth  the  invectives  against  the 
stage,  and  labour  for  its  destruction.  When 


suaded  the  simple  hearted  to  prize  it  more  than  the 
gold  of  the  sanctuary. 

They  were  indeed  the  first  grand  corrupters 

OF  THE  GOSPEL  OF  CHRIST. 

Coke  and  Moore's  life  of  Wesley,  second  edition, 
p.  531. 


35 

engaged  in  this  meritorious  pursuit,  rochets, 
lawn  sleeves,  scarlet  hats,  triple  mitres,  and 
all  the  sacerdotal  paraphernalia  is  deprived 
of  its  babylonish  terrors.  The  fastidious, 
puritan  receives  them  as  valuable  allies,  and 
elevates  them  to  the  highest  rank  of  learn- 
ing piety,  and  excellence  !  Now,  Madam, 
fully  to  convince  you  that  I  am  neither 
capricious  nor  arbitrary  in  rejecting  the 
interference  of  the  ancients,  Heathen,  or 
christain,  we  will  proceed  in  our  intended 
excursion,  and  take  a  rapid  survey  of  the 
history  of  the  stag>*,  from  its  first  inven- 
tion down  to  the  period,  when  the  early  fa- 
thers of  the  church  avowed  themselves  its 
inveterate  and  determined  opposers.  We 
will  then  take  a  separate  investigation  of  the 
different  opinions  delivered,  and  thus  be 
enabled  todetermine  and  judge  how  far  they 
can  be  brought  to  assimilate  with  the  con* 
dernnations  of  the  present  stage,  or  how  far 
they  can  apply  to  the  now  existing  drama* 


36 

It  is  a  generally  "received  opinion  with 
the  learned,  that  the  Ludi  and  Spertacula 
of  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  formed  a  great 
part  of  the  solemn  and  public  worship  of 
their  Gods,  and  were  instituted  on  purpose 
to  commemorate  some  signal  benefit,  or 
expiate  some  calamity  of  which  those  Gods 
were  the  supposed  authors  or  instruments. 
These  shows  were  usually  preceded  by  a 
solemn  procession  of  the  Gods  to  whom  they 
were  dedicated,  and  the  priests  and  sacnfi- 
cers  in  their  formalities,  with  the  victim  in 
all  its  religious  pomp;  this  was  succeeded 
by  vows  made,  and  sacrifices  performed 
upon  the  spot,  whether  it  were  theatre, 
circus,  or  any  other  public  building*. 


*Nearly  the  whole  of  this  short  inquiry  into  the  ori- 
gin of  the  drama,  &c  is  taken  from  "The  ancient  and 
modern  stages  surveyed."  An  ingenious  work  pub- 
lished in  reply  to  Mr.  Collier,  dated  1699. 


37 

After  all  these  were  performed  or  finish- 
ed, the  show  was  ordered  to  begin,  which 
was  also  a  principal  part  of  the  religious 
worship,  and  concluded  the  solemnity  of 
the  day.  In  these  shows,  the  amours  of  the 
Gods  were  related  and  sung,  with  the  ac- 
companiments of  music  and  dancing. — 
The  whole  forming  the  most  obscene,  dis- 
graceful spectacle  possible  to  be  conceived, 
much  less  exhibited  before  any  people  ad- 
vanced beyond  the  verge  of  barbarism. — 
The  lowest  stews  alone  could  furnish 
prostitutes  enough  to  be  assistant  charac- 
ters at  these  festive  debaucheries.  The 
full  description  of  which  would  onlysully 
my  pages,  offend  decency,  and  repel  the 
eye  of  modesty.  I  mention  the  Ludi  and 
the  Spectaculi  first,  because  by  the  care- 
less and  inattentive,  they  are  very  frequent- 
ly blended  with  the  legitimate  drama.  More 
than  half  of  the  invectives  t^iven  to  the  an- 
cient schoolmen  and  the  fathers  originated 


38 

in  their  invincible  hatred  to  theseabomina- 
ble  shows.* — .\otthatI  presume  to  claim 
an  origin  of  a  superior  kind,  for  the  foun- 
dation of  dramatic  representations.     No  ; 
like  the  Spectaculi  and  the  Ludi,  it  sprung 
from  the  rtligious   worship,  of   the  Hea- 
thens.    It  was  invented  in  honour  to  Bac- 
chus, and  consisted  of  songs  in  his  praise, 
music  and  dancing,  about  a  sacrificed  goat, 
intermixed  with  rustic  raillery,  suitable  to 
the  genius  and  temper  of  the  boors  and  vil- 
lagers that  were  the  performers.     Tragedy 
and  comedy  were  not  then  considered  sepa- 
rate provinces  in  poetry,  but  either  name 
inditlerently   signified    the   same  thing  ; 
the  first   being   taken  from   the  sacrifice, 
which  was  a  goat ;  the  other  from  the  per- 
formers, which  were  peasants  or  villagers; 
or  from  the  nature  of  the  entertainment  it- 

*  Josephus,  or  his  translator,  designates  Aliturious 
an  actor,  but  he  was  a  Pantomine  in  high  favor 
with  Nero. 


39 

self,  which  was  composed  of  rural  music, 
songs,  and  dances.  It  is  presumed  by  some, 
that  the  partition  of  tragedy  and  comedy 
was  first  made,  when  the  poets, quitting  the 
dithyrambi  or  hymns  to  Bacchus,  betook 
themselves  to  the  representation  of  stories 
or  fables  of  their  own  invention  ;  the  na- 
ture of  the  subjects  then  becoming  differ- 
ent, according  to  the  poet's  choice,  the 
names  were  divided  betwixt  them.  Or  it 
may  be,  that  the  part  which  we  now,  in  a 
restrained  sense,  call  tragedy,  being  first 
refined  and  improved,  and  becoming  the 
study  and  diversion  of  more  polite  men, 
and  the  other  continuing  longer  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  villagers,  retained  the  name 
of  comedy,  for  distinction  sake,  even  after 
its  utmost  improvements.  I  cannot  in- 
trude upon  your  time,  nor  infringe  so  far 
upon  my  own  plan,  as  to  pursue  the  drama 
through  all  its  modifications,  to  its  polish- 
ed height,  and  vigorous  form  in  Greece — 


40 

nor  follow  its  transplantation  into  Rome, 
the  repulsive  reception  it  encountered 
there,  its  finally  surmounting  all  objections, 
and  elevating  itself  to  a  rank  inferior  only 
to  its  Grecian  parent.  But,  notwithstand- 
ing the  dramatic  art  improved  so  greatly 
on  its  humble  origin  ;  notwithstanding  the 
sacrifice  of  the  goat  had  been  long  discon- 
tinued— the  satyri  in  praise  of  Bacchus  abo- 
lished, and  the  plays  appointed  occasionally 
in  honour  of  any  of  the  Gods,  so  that  they 
were,  as  the  auditors  rightly  observed,  Ni+ 
Ml  ad  Bacchum,  still  the  stage  remained  sa- 
cred to,  and  under  the  protection  of  its  old 
patron,*  who  had  amongst  the  Romans  his 
Altar  on  the  Right  Hand  of  the  Stage, 


*  The  figures  of  tragedy  and  comedy  frequently 
occupy  those  situations  in  the  modern  theatre,  but 
they  have  no  worshippers,  nor  do  we  wish  them. — 
We  are  as  averse  to  enthusiasm  as  we  are  hostile  to 
superstition. 


and  the  particular  God,  to  whom  the  play 
was  dedicated,  on  the  left.  In  this  state,, 
much  degenerated  by  show  and  spectacle, 
the  fathers  found  the  Roman  stage.  And 
it  was  occasionally  profaned  by  represen- 
tations of  the  Ludi  ScenicL  "  Nee  fas  est 
nobis  audire  adulteria  deorum  hominumq, 
quce  suavi  verborum  modulantur  mercedef" 

This  being  the  case,  a  christian  could  not 
be  present,  or  assist  at  these  representa- 
tions, without  openly  countenancing  or 
conforming  to  the  idolatrous  worship  of  the 
Heathens ;  which  the  fathers,  as  became 
conscientious  and  pious  pastors,  were  ex- 
tremely solicitous  to  prevent.  They  were 
sensible  of  the  difficulties  they  had  to  en- 
counter, and  the  obstacles  they  had  to  sur- 
mount. 


f  Another  instance  of  their  incorrectly  blending 
the  Histriones  and  the  Ludi. 


42 

The  christian  religion  was  yet  but  newly 
planted,  and  therefore  until  it  had  taken 
sufficient  root,  was  carefully  to  be  covered 
and  defended  from  the  injuries  of  rude 
beasts,  and  the  contagion  of  those  rank  su- 
perstitious weeds  that  grew  about  it,  by 
which  the  root  might  be  killed,  or  the  soil 
infected,  and  the  sap  withdrawn.  Paganism 
was  a  religion  invented  at  first  to  oblige 
and  captivate  the  people,  and  gained  its 
credit  and  authority  among  them  by  indulg- 
ing their  sensuality,  and  even  gratifying 
their  lusts;  it  was  augmented  by  degrees, 
by  ambitious  cunning  men,  who,  to  render 
themselves  more  popular,  and  gain  an  in- 
terest with  the  multitude,  recommended  to 
them  under  the  notion  of  religion,  what 
they  found  most  acceptable  to  the  humour 
and  palate  of  the  populace.  By  this  means 
the  various  processions,  games,  and  shows, 
were  introduced,  and  became  the  most  for- 
mal part  of  their  solemnities;   men  being 


43 

easily  persuaded  to  like  what  was  so  con- 
formable to  their  inclinations,  that  in  ihe 
exercise  and  discharge  of  their  duties,  their 
senses  were  entertained,  and  their  appetites 
flattered.  Against  a  superstition  thus  fra- 
med for  luxury,  and  contrived  for  sensual 
enjoyment,  Christianity  was  to  make  its 
way,  drive  out  those  rites,  destroy  a  title 
founded  upon  the  prescription  of  many 
ages,  supported  by  the  authority  of  the 
civil  government,  and  fortified  in  its  posses- 
sion by  prejudice, inclination,  and  interest; 
and  all  this  to  be  done  with  the  assistance 
only  of  truth,  and  simplicity  of  doctrine 
and  manners.  The  pomp  and  magnificence 
of  their  solemn  worship  was  absolutely  to 
be  taken  away,  and  their  licentious  practi- 
ces to  be  restrained,  reformed,  and  repla- 
ced, by  severe  principles  and  austerity.  All 
this  to  be  accomplished  amongst  a  people, 
whom  the  submission  and  tribute  of  the 
world  for  ages,  had  made  wealthy,  proud, 
fina  wanton. 


44 

It  is  not,  therefore,  to  be  wondered  at  if 
those  early  champions  of  the  gospel  propor- 
tioned their  zeal  and  vigilance  to  the  mag- 
nitude of  the  occasion,  and  the  strength  of 
the  opposition.  The  games  and  shows  of 
the  ancient  heathens  were  the  parts  of  their 
religion  the  most  generally  engaging,  that 
attracted  most  and  kept  the  multitude 
firmest  to  them.  The  fathers,  who  knew 
where  the  strength  lay,  have  employed  all 
their  artillery  against  these  shows  ;  their 
batteries  have  played  incessantly  upon 
them  as  the  only  forts  that  were  capable  of 
making  resistance  and  stopping  their  pro- 
gress— The  drama,  from  its  idolatrous  ori- 
gin, and  its  then  existing  appearance,  of 
course  participated  with  the  shows  in  the 
condemnation  of  the  fathers.  It  was  un- 
warrantable because  idolatrous ;  and,  in 
their  opinion,  impossible  for  a  christian, 
however  well  principled  or  disposed,  to 
partake  of  the  entertainment  without  shar- 


45 

ing  the  pollution,  or  to  abstract  the  diver- 
sion from  the  guilt.  They  thought  it  dan- 
gerous to  trust  their  converts,  however  for- 
tified, to  the  temptation  of  so  seductive  a 
religion,  which  was  far  from  curbing  the 
appetites  or  laying  any  restraints  upon  the 
desires  of  its  proselytes.  Indeed,  many  of 
its  duties  were  but  panders  to  their  lusts, 
and  most  of  its  acts  of  devotion  so  many 
entertainments  for  their  senses.  The  por- 
tion of  those  that  embraced  Christianity 
was  mortification  and  suffering,  meeting 
perpetual  discouragement,  and  (until  the 
time  of  Constantine)  encountering  frequent 
persecutions.  Their  reward  was  in  rever- 
sion ;  their  expectation,  indeed,  was  large, 
but  the  prospect  was  distant.  Present  ease 
and  enjoyment  are  too  apt  to  prevail  against 
a  remote  hope.  In  our  common  affairs  of 
the  world  futurity  maintains  itself  but  ill 
against  the  present  ;  and  neither  the  great- 
ness nor  the  certainty  of  the  reversion  will 


40 

appear  as  a  sufficient  counter-balance  to 
the  immediate  possession. 

This  wag  the  case  of  Christianity  in  its 
infancy.  The  heathen  priesthood,  content- 
ed with  the  countenance  aud  encourage- 
ment of  the  state,  submitted  to  the  directions 
and  appointment  of  it  even  in  matters  re- 
lating to  their  own  mysteries  :  they  as- 
sumed no  dominion  or  jurisdiction  over 
private  consciences,  either  in  point  of  prin- 
ciple or  practice,  but  left  those  matters 
wholly  to  the  civil  government,  which 
made  laws  for  their  regulation,  and  ap- 
pointed magistrates   for  the  inspection  of 

men's  manners,  in  which  regard  was  had 
chiefly,  if  not  only,  to  the  public  quiet  and 
security — to  the  preservation  and  augmen- 
tation of  the  state. 

The  people  therefore  received  easilv,  a 
religion,  which,  though  false,  gave  them  so 


47 

little  disturbance;  their theology,like  their 
worship,  was  suited,  and  adapted  to  the  ca- 
pacity of  the  multitude. — The  one  consist- 
ing of  surprising  fables,  the  other  of  delight- 
ful solemnities. 

But  the  gospel  had  none  of  these  advan- 
tages with  the  million  ;  it  was  not  contriv- 
ed and  modelled  for  popularity,  it  did  not 
humour  the  inclinations,  and  indulge  the 
appetites  of  the  people.  To  thepurity  of  its 
doctrine  a  conformity  of  life  and  manners 
was  required,  the  passions  were  to  be  curbed 
and  the  desires  moderated.  Instead  of  pomp 
and  learning,  simplicity  and  sobriety 
were  to  be  their  entertainments  : — their 
amorous  Gods,  whose  fabulous  histories 
gave  countenance  to  men's  lusts,  and  en- 
couragement to  their  debaucheries,  were  to 
be  displaced,  and  the  knowledge  and  wor- 
ship of  the  true  one  to  be  introduced, 
whose  majesty  was  as  grand  and  awful,  as 


48 

the  others  were  represented  trifling  and 
culpable  ! 

These  were  the  conditions  of  conversion 
from  Heathenism,  and  the  change  must  ap- 
pear to  mere  flesh  and  blood,  rather  dis- 
advantageous. The  Fathers,  therefore,  who 
knew  how  hard  it  was  to  keep  the  appetites 
in  entire  subjection,  took  care  to  fortify,  as 
strongly  as  possible,  those  parts  in  which 
they  expected  the  rebellion  should  first 
break  out.  The  plays  of  all  the  Heathen 
solemnities  were  those  that  gave  the  strong- 
est temptation  to  the  new  converts  ;  they 
had  so  little  of  the  air  of  religion,  that  they 
thought  if  they  did  not  countenance  the 
end  and  design  of  them,  they  might,  with- 
out imputation,  partake  of  the  diversion, 
in  which  they  met  with  frequent  examples 
of  innocence  and  virtue.  This  alarmed 
the  Fathers,  they  justly  apprehended  that 
their  converts,  from  liking  the  entertain- 


merits  themselves,  might  proceed  to  ap- 
prove the  occasion  of  them. — To  obviate 
these  dangers,  they  summoned  all  their 
prudence,  and  all  their  art ;  they  omitted 
no  topic  which  rhetoric  orsatire  could  sup- 
ply, to  fright  or  persuade  men  from  those 
diversions. 

Nor  was  all  their  zeal  and  caution  any 
more  than  was  necessary — the  danger  was 
great,  and  so  was  the  temptation  ;  the  fort 
was  to  fee  maintained  not  only  against  an 
enemy  without,  but  a  strong  faction  with- 
in ;  the  senses,  appetites,  and  passions  were 
already  gained  to  the  enemies'  party,  noth- 
ing remained  but  religion  and  reason  to 
make  good  the  defence.  Those  generals 
therefore  that  would  hold  out  when  the 
garrison  was  inclined  to  surrender,  must 
not  only  display  their  courage  and  conduct, 
but  exert  their  jurisdiction  likewise  to  the 

utmost.      This    the    ancient    fathers  did, 
E 


50 

whose  examples  have  been  followed  by 
many  in  succeeding  periods,  without  the 
same  reason,  authority,  or  success. 

Thus,  Madam,  have  we  finished  our  pro- 
jected tour,  and  as  far  as  gratified  curiosity 
can  be  satisfactory  to  an  inquiring  mind, 
I  trust  we  have  derived  some  satisfaction 
from  the  expedition. — We  now  come  to 
the  more  delicate  task  of  examining  the 
qualifications   of    our   accusers,  and   the 

justice  of  their  accusations. You  will 

perceive  we  have  formidable  names  to 
contend  with;  Plato,  Xenophon,  x\ristotle, 
Solon,  Seneca,  Cicero,  Livy,  and  a  long 
train  of  &c's.  frightful  to  enumerate.  Be 
not  alarmed — there's  nothing  in  a  name — 
"tush,  tush,  scare  boys  with  bugs." — 
Plato  says,  "  Plays  raise  the  passions  and 
pervert  the  use  of  them,  and,  by  conse- 
quence, are  dangerous  to  morality." — 
There  is  the  whole  of  Plato's  evidence — 


51 

Now,  we  can  produce  plays  that  do  not 
pervert  the  passions,  consequently,  all  plays 
upon  that  score  are  not  dangerous. 
Xenophon  condemns  "  the  warm  licentious- 
ness of  dramatic  poets." — Licentiousness 
is  not  now  a  necessary  ingredient,  it  is  just- 
ly dismissed  in  disgrace,  and  therefore 
Xenophon's  opinion  is  quite  irrelevant  to 
the  subject.  But  I  cannot  dismiss  this  an- 
cient worthy,  without  introducing  to  your 
notice  a  passage  which  I  met  with  in  a  pu- 
ritanical invective,  written  against  the  stage 
in  the  year  1699. — It  is  there  set  out  with 
a  formality  of  dulness,  and  an  affectation 
of  consequence  that  rendered  it  one  of  the 
most  irresistably  comic  passages  I  ever  en- 
countered.— It  is  a  description  of  a  dra- 
matic entertainment,  Xenophon  witness- 
ed*— where,  I  am  not  sufficiently  vers- 
ed in  ancient  lore,  to  inform  you,  but  I 
will    give   it  you  as  I  found    it.      "The 

*  Written  by  Socrates. 


52 

Syracusian  entered  like  Bacchus,  with  a 
pipe  before  him,  playing  a  rioting  tune. 
Then  entered  Ariadne,  gorgeously  apparel- 
led like  a  bride,  and  sat  down  before  the 
company  ;  she  did  not  go  to  meet  Bacchus 
as  a  dancing,  nor  rose  from  her  seat,  but 
made  such  signs  as  discovered  he  might 
have  an  easy  conquest.  When  Bacchus 
beheld  her,  he  expressed  his  passion,  as 
much  as  possible,  in  his  dance,  and  draw- 
ing near  her,  fell  down  on  his  knees,  em- 
braced and  kissed  her.  She,  though  with 
some  faint  resemblance  of  coyness  and 
modesty,  embraced  him  again.  At  this 
the  spectators  gave  shouts  of  applause  ! — 
The  whole  audience  swore,  that  the  boy  and 
girl  loved  one  another  in  reality ;  for  they 
did  not  act  like  those  who  had  been  taught 
only  to  personate  those  gestures.  At  last, 
when  the  company  perceived  that  they  were 
clasped  in  one  anothers  arms,  those  that 
had  no  wives,  swore  they  would  marry, 


53 

and  those  that  were  married,  took  horse 
and  went  home  to  their  wives  immedi- 
ately." 

There,  Madam,  there  is  a  delicate  his,- 
trionical  morceau! — But  my  author  has 
done  us  great  injustice,  for  he  brings  this 
forward  as  a  very  serious  heavy  charge,  to 
prove  the  fatal  influence  of  theatrical  re- 
presentations!— Now,  really,  had  we  stage 
saints,  as  well  as  kings,  heroes,  and  bishops, 
the  Syracusean  boy  and  girl  should  have  a 
theatrical  canonization.  At  any  rate,  they 
are  worthy  of  being  perpetuated  through 
the  medium  of  statues,  medals,  poetry,  and 
painting.  Sincerely  do  I  wish  our  modern 
Roscii  had  done  but  one  ten  thousandth 
part  as  much  service  to  the  state,  and  the 
morals  of  the  people; — why, it  is  realizing 
the  good  old  sentiment :  "  The  single 
married,  and  the  married  happy."-- It  must 
have  taken  place  in  the  golden  age  of  the 


54 

poets! — But  pleasant  and  refreshing  as  this 
delightful  matrimonial  prospect  is,  we 
cannot  remain  longer  to  dwell  upon  it. — 
We  must  proceed  in  our  investigation. 

Aristotle  declaims  against  the  improprie- 
ty of  subjecting  youth  to  the  danger  of 
a  promiscuous  company,  until  they  are 
sufficiently  fortified  against  the  influence  of 
corruption.  He  is  particularly  apprehen- 
sive of  drunkenness,  a  term  to  which  some 
of  the  disingenuous  writers  against  the 
stage,  have  given  a  more  extensive  latitude, 
by  interpreting  it  debauchery.  To  one  of 
your  classical  information,  it  will  appear 
strange  that  Aristotle  should  be  arranged  on 
this  side  of  the  question ;  a  writer,  who  has 
taken  such  infinite  pains  to  establish  rules 
for  the  more  easy  and  regular  composition 
of  dramas,  and  has  pronounced  a  finished 
tragedy  to  be  the  most  exalted  effort  of 
human  genius! — We  must  leave  it  to  our 


55 

judges,  whether  they  will  receive  as  honest 
evidence,  an  insulated  passage  in  contradic- 
tion to  a  work,  that  must  have  employed 
many  years  of  his  life.  To  imagine  a 
man  would  lay  down  rules  for  the  formation 
of  a  thing,  of  which  he  forbade  the  use, 
would  be  as  ridiculous,  as  the  idea  of 
meeting  a  player  without  vanity,  or  a  me- 
thod ist  without  rancour.  Solon  expressed 
his  dislike  to  the  representations  of  Thes- 
pis,  by  striking  his  staff  upon  the  ground, 
and  uttering  some  angry  words.  The 
philosopher's  choler  was  excited  by  the 
ribaldry  of  an  art,  in  its  earliest  and  most 
imperfect  state. 

Seneca  expressed  his  displeasure  towards 
the  Romans  for  neglecting  their  schools, 
and  attending  too  closely  to  their  theatres. 
Yet,  I  need  not  tell  you,  that  this  same 
Seneca  is  supposed  by  Lipsius,  Joseph  Sca- 
liger,  and  other  celebrated  critics,  to  have 


56 

been   the  author  of  three  tragedies,  viz. 
Medea,  Hippolytus,  and  Troas. 

Cicero  disapproves  of  the  licentiousness 
too  common  in  the  Latin  dramatic  poets. — 
But  Tully,  the  orator,  was  the  admirer, 
friend,  and  panegyrist  of  Roscius  the  actor. 
Let  us  hear  this  eloquent  pleader's  opinion 
upon  a  sister  art ; — he  sententiously  says 
"  The  good  and  evil  in  a  state  depend  great- 
ly on  the  music,  that  is  most  encouraged 
in  it.  If  it  be  too  light  and  wanton,  the 
people  are  insensibly  rendered  foolish  and 
disorderly.  If,  on  the  contrary,  it  be  grave 
and  masculine,  they  become  modest  by  its 
influence." — Now,  really,  this  may  be  all 
very  sensible,  and  the  admirers  of  antiqui- 
ty discover  much  wisdom  and  latent  ex- 
cellence in  this  declaration. — This  profound 
kind  of  trifling  might  have  suited  the  genius 
of  a  Roman  politician,  and  have  corres- 
ponded with  the  dignity  of  the  Tusculan 


57 

orator. — But  if  Lord  Henry  Petty,  with  all 
his  passion  for  the  art,  and  his  musical  ce- 
lebrity into  the  bargain,  were  seriously  to 
advance  such  an  absurd  position,  his  friends 
would  be  calculating  on  the  melancholy 
idea  of  removing  him  from  the  chapel  of 
St.  Stephen's  to  the  hospital  of  St,  Luke's. 
Livy  condemns,  with  just  indignation  and 
severity,  the  encouragement  given  to  the 
Ludi  Scenici. — But  these  are  representations 
as  widely  different  from  the  legitimate  dra- 
ma, as  a  harlequinade  can  be  to  one  of  th£ 
divine  compositions  of  Shakspeare. 

I  will  not  fatigue  you  or  myself  with  wa- 
ding through  any  more  of  these  tedious 
and  perverted  authorities. — Even  allowing 
the  quotations  cited  against  us  in  their  full 
extent,  still  there  are  left  some  of  the  great- 
est men  in  antiquity,  who  admired  the  art, 
and  exerted  their  utmost  power  to  cherish 
and  protect  it. — Julius  and  Augustus  were 


58 

known  to  dedicate  some  of  their  leisure 
hours,  when  retired  from  the  fatigues  of 
state,  to  the  composition  of  tragedy.  Mar- 
cus Brutus,  a  character  considered  to  be 
unimpeachable  in  Roman  virtue,  was  a 
warm  patron  and  supporter  of  the  drama. — 
Terence,  in  an  indirect  manner,  confesses 
having  received  assistance  from  Scipio 
Africanus,  and  Lelius.  In  short,  Madam, 
the  names  of  these  great  writers  change 
sides  so  very  often,  just  to  suit  the  views 
of  the  opposers  or  supporters  of  a  stage, 
that  it  really  puzzles  a  plain  simple  man  to 
judge  or  determine  what  party  they  possi- 
bly can  appertain  to — and  by  this  perplex- 
ity add  stronger  ridicule  to  the  idea  of  cal- 
ling upon  either  Greeks  or  Romans  to  de- 
cide a  question  purely  British  !  Sincerely 
do  I  wish  both  parties  would  coincide  in 
the  propriety  of  their  dismissal,  nor  longer 
suffer  them  to  entangle  or  confuse  a  contest 
which  they  can  neither  elucidate  nor  ter- 
minate. 


59 

Having  despatched  the  ancients,  I  must 
now  raise  an  enormous  tax  upon  your  pa- 
tience, by  entreating  your  attention  to  the  o- 
pinionsofmen  who  existed  in  an  age  most 
emphatically  and  justly  designated  dark: 
when  the  sun  of  knowledge  had  not  strength 
to  vivify  inquiry,  or  to  animate  exertion, 
when  all  the  nobler  emanations  of  the  mind, 
inert,  feeble,  and  emasculated,  were  easily 
led  captives,  by  ignorance,  bigotry,  and 
superstition. What  will  add  to  our  mor- 
tification is,  the  necessity  we  shall  be 
under  of  being  more  minute  and  parti- 
cular in  our  examination  of  the  opinions 
broached  by  ascetics  and  retired  visiona- 
ries, than  we  were  in  the  investigation  of 

the  more  vigorous   minded  heathens. 

It  is  our  duty,  Madam,  and  we  must 
perform  it. — The  fathers  have  unequivo- 
cally and  avowedly  proclaimed  their 
opinions,  violently  and  diametrically  in  op- 
position to  the  use  of  a  stage. — Most  of 
its  succeeding  adversaries  have  followed 


60 

their  mode  of  condemnation.  All  its  pre- 
sent opponents,  who  embellish  themselves 
with  the  name  of  christian,  look  up  to  the 
early  and  learned  churchmen  as  precedents 
for  their  conduct. — It  behoves  us,  there- 
fore, to  search  more  strictly  into  this  enor- 
mous, formidable  display  of  ecclesiastical 
vengeance. — The  survey  we  have  taken  of 
the  ancient  stage,  will,  in  some  measure, 
account  for  the  rooted  antipathy  express- 
ed by  the  fathers. — Much  praise  is  due  to 
them  for  their  exertions  in  repelling  such 
abominations  as  were  then  exhibited.  That 
degraded,  degenerate  age  is  passed,  and 
with  it,  all  the  merit  of  their  opposition. — 
But  still,  I  am  inclined  to  call  in  question 
the  means  they  adopted  to  check  the  pro- 
fligacy of  the  thing  they  condemned. — De- 
ceit is  unpardonable — and  they  have  avow- 
ed charges,;honest  truth  must  condemn,  and 
at  which  reason  must  revolt. — I  will  prove 
to  you,  that  the  zeal  of  these  good  fathers, 


si 

so  far  outruns  discretion,  as  utterly  to  vitiate 
their  decisions,  and  incapacitate  them  for 
judges;  St.  Augustin,  St.  Chrysostom,  St. 
Cyprian,  and  Tertullian  are  the  great  au- 
thorities from  whence  our  modern  devotees 
draw  their  invectives. 

St.  Augustin  says,  "  That  the  stage  was 
introduced  into  Rome  for  the  recreation  of 
the  sensualists,  and  admitted  by  the  deso- 
lute  morals  of  the  time." — this  may  be  true 
— but,  unfortunately  for  the  credit  of  him- 
self and  his  admirers,  he  adds — "  The  Hea- 
then Idols  desired  that  it  might  be 

DEDICATED   TO    THEM  !  !" 1  will   DOt     in- 

sult  your  understanding  by  expatiating  on 
this  absurdity. 

St.  Chrysostom  railed  most  virulently 
against  the  stage,  yet  read  and  studied  all 
the  dramatic  poets  ;  and  from  that  impure 
source,  he  borrowed  a  style  pf  eloquence 
which  made  him  the  most  persuasive  and 


62 

admired  preacher  of  his  time. — 1  must  here 
remark  to  you,  that  the  most  violent  of  our 
modern  saints,  approve  of  moral  or  religi- 
ous pieces,  in  the  form  of  a  drama. — It  is 
the  acting  alone  that  is  sinful! — You  re- 
member the  big  endians  and  the  little 

ENDIANS  ? 

St.  Cyprian  says,  upon  the  silence  of 
the  scripture,  "  with  respect  to  plays, 
that  the  divine  wisdom  would  have  had  a 
low  opinion  of  christians,  had  it  descended 
to  be  more  particular  in  this  case  !"  "  O 
lame  and  impotent  conclusion  !" — Cyprian 
is  very  explicit  in  his  reasons  for  feeling  a 
detestation  to  the  existence  of  a  theatre. — 
To  his  reasons,  with  such  a  provocation, 
every  honest  man  must  subscribe.  "Thea- 
tra  sunt  fcediora,  quo  convenis  verundia  illic 
omnis  exuitur  simul  cum  amictu,  vestis  honor 
corporis,  et  pudor  ponitur,  denotanda,  ac  con- 
trectanda,  virgi?iitas  revclatur." 


03 

Tertullian  has  been  more  diffuse,  more 
absurd,  and  more  inveterate  than  any  of 
them  ; — we  will  pass  by  his  having  fallen 
into  heresy  ; — this  blemish  in  the  life  of  the 
holy  father,  would,  upon  any  other  ques- 
tion, have  worked  considerably  to  his  dis- 
advantage.— But  you  know,  Madam,  his 
being  an  enemy  to  the  theatre,  is  a  suffi- 
cient apology  for  all  the  heresies  into  which 
degenerate  nature  could  lead  him. — If  we 
may  judge  from  the  glaring  nonsense  he 
has  published  against  the  drama,  we  may 
venture  to  pronounce  him  a  very  probable 
subject  to  be  misled,  or  dazzled  by  the  wan- 
derings of  his  own  imagination. — He  says; 
"  The  Devil  mounted  the  tragedians  upon 
buskins,  because  he  would  make  our  Sa- 
viour a  lyar!" Passing  by  the  absurdity 

of  the  factitious  aid  of  dress  giving  real 
height,  or  breath,  to  the  human  figure — full 
well  must  it  be  known  that  the  cothurni, 
or  high  heeled  shoes,  worn  by  the  Greek  tra- 


64 

gedians,  were  invented  upwards  of  one  thou- 
sand years  before  the  birth  of  our  Saviour! 
The  learned  father  seems  to  have  been  in- 
defatigable upon  the  subject,  for  he  has 
formally  recorded  twelve  reasons  against 
the  use  of  a  theatre. — Conceiving  them  to 
embrace  all  the  serious  objections  of  that 
age,  and  finding  they  have  an  influence  up- 
on a  certain  description  of  people,  even  to 
this  very  day,  I  think  they  demand  some 
little  of  our  attention;  therefore  with  your 
permission,  I  will  copy  them,  and  we  will 
pass  a  slight  comment  upon  each. 

1st.  "  Because  the  spirit  of  the  gospel  is 
a  spirit  of  gentleness;  but  the  actors  are 
forced  to  put  themselves  into  a  posture  of 
warmth,  and  anger,  and  fury ;  and  the  spec- 
tators themselves  cannot  behold  them  with- 
out being  put  into  a  passion." 

I  have  certainly  seen  an  audience  evince 


65 

no  inconsiderable  share  of  anger  at  bad  act- 
ing, indecencies,  and  improprieties.  But 
I  have  beheld  hundreds  of  instances,  where 
they  have  remained  tranquil  and  composed, 
even  at  the  very  time  the  stage  has  exhibi- 
ted some  dire,  fierce,  and  bloodless  con- 
flict. 

2d.  "Because vanity. which  ispropertothe 
stage,  is  altogether  foreign  to  Christianity." 

Were  this  fantastical  lady  to  be  pursued 
through  all  her  different  shades,  it  would 
be  difficult  to  determine  to  whom  she  legi- 
timately appertains. — Sometimes  she  will 
walk  demurely  under  a  broad  brim  hat, 
at  others  luxurate  in  lawn  sleeves ; — 
sometimes  she  will  reason  with  a  philoso- 
pher, at  others  brawl  with  a  field  preacher  ; 
and  even  Queen  Mab  herself  cannot  exhibit 
more  versatile  powers. — At  any  rate,  she  is 
not  an  exclusive  stage  property,  though 
F 


66 

frequently  brought  thither  to  expose  her 
own  absurdities. 

3rd.  "  Because  we  are  not  to  consent  to 
people's  sin." 

This  ingenious  objection  we  must  leave 
to  Rowland  Hill,  Johanna  Southcoate, 
or  any  other  old  woman,  deep  in  mystery, 
to  enucleate. 

4th.  "  Because  men  are  abused  in  these 
places,  and  neither  princes,  nor  people 
spared,  and  this  being  unlawful  elsewhere, 
must  be  unlawful  upon  the  stage." 

How  glorious  an  eulogium  !  This  is  the 
highest  panegyric  upon  the  stage,  I  have 
ever  had  the  good  fortune  to  peruse. — It 
shows  the  exalted  independence  of  the 
dramatic  muse,  and  the  boundless  extent 
of  her  power. — She  knows  no  enemy  but 


vice. — No  friend  but  virtue! — And,  until 
all  men  are  honest,  all  princes  just,  all 
soldiers  valiant,  all  magistrates  pure,  and 
all  priests  sincere,  I  hope  and  trust  she  will 
fearlessly  exercise  her  jurisdiction,  not 
being  biassed  by  the  rank  of  the  cul- 
prit, but  justly  indignant,  at  the  extent  of 
his  offence, 

5th.  "Because  all  immodesty  and  scur- 
rility is  forbid  by  the  law  of  the  gospel, 
and  not  only  acting  it,  but  seeing  and  hear- 
ing it  acted." 

This  is  as  foreign  to  the  existing  drama, 
as  a  decree  of  the  court  of  chancery  to  a 
subject  of  Tripoli.  These  offences  would 
now  receive  the  immediate  and  summary 
punishment  of  the  audience,  by  censure 
and  disapprobation. 

6th.    "  Because  all  Players    are  hypo- 


68 

crites,  seem  to  te  what  they  are  not, 
and  all  hypocrisy  is  condemned  by  the 
gospel." 

Did  you  ever,  Madam,  at  a  play,  ima- 
gine Mrs.  Siddons  was  absolutely  endea- 
vouring to  persuade  you  she  was  not  Mrs. 
Siddons,  but  Queen  Catharine? — or  Mr. 
Kemble,  that  he  was  really  the  proud  pa- 
trician Coriolanus?* No one  of  the 

great  pleasures  arising  from  the  exhibition 
of  the  art,  is  knowing  the  actors  designated 
by  their  separate  names,  yet,  witnessing 
their  skill  in  expressing  the  thoughts  and 
actions  of  others." 

With  respect  to  any  other  latitude  given 
to  this  offensive  word,  I  have  often  wished 


*  If  identity  of  person  can  really  be  absorbed  in 
imaginary  character,  these  are  two  of  the  most  pro- 
bable specimens  I  know  to  establish  the  doctrine. 


69 

my  brethren  possessed  a  share  of  this 
modern  succedaneum  for  every  virtue. 
Perhaps,  though,  we  mistake  the  good 
father,  he  might  have  been  speaking  lite- 
rally ; — for  I  believe,  Madam,  the  term  hy- 
pocrite originated  in  being  applied  to  the 
the  ancient  actors,  who,  by  playing  in 
visors,  appeared  that  which  they  were  noU 
How  customs  change!  The  stage  adepts 
have  dropt  the  visor ;  and  adepts  of  another 
description  have  taken  it  up ! 

7th.  "Because  the  actors  very  often 
belie  their  sex,  and  put  on  woman's  apparel, 
which  is  forbid  by  the  law  of  God." 

In  the  days  of  Tertullian  there  were  no 
actresses,  the  female  characters*  were  re- 


*  Female  pharacters  were  not  represented  by 
women  upon  the  English  stage  until  after  the  re- 
storation. 


70 

presented  by  youths.  With  respect  to  the 
change  of  dress  I  am  aware  the  Mosaic  law 
condemns  the  custom ;  the  reason  for 
which,  those  versed  in  the  Jewish  anti- 
quities, customs  and  manners,  can  proba- 
bly furnish  us.  I  profess  my  ignorance. — 
I  only  know  we  do  not  practice  the  purifi- 
cations, and  the  many  peculiar  and  minute 
regulations  to  be  found  in  the  books  of  Le- 
viticus and  Deuteronomy. 

8th.  "  Because  these  plays  dull  and  damp 
devotion  and  seriousness,  which  is,  and 
ought  to  be,  the  indelible  character  of 
christians." 

We  do  not  wish  to  damp  pure  devotion  ; 
on  the  contrary,  it  is  our  desire  to  fan  the 
flame.  We  certainly  are  averse  to  dull 
seriousness.  For  my  own  part,  Madam, 
sincerely  do  I  wish  the  word  banished  from 
our  vocabulary. — There  are  at  present  as 


many  absurdities,  impertinences,  and  fol- 
lies concealed  under  the  epithet  serious,  as 
under  that  of  shaker. 

9th.  "Because  it  is  a  disparagement  to 
God,  to  lift  up  those  hands  to  applaud  a 
player  which  we  lift  up  to  the  throne  of 
grace." 

Ah  !  my  good  father,  it  is  not  the  lifting 
up  the  hands  but  the  elevation  of  the  heart 
that  will  be  acceptable  to  thy  judge  and 
mine! — The  Mahometans  and  the  eastern 
idolators  lay  a  stress  upon  the  application 
and  religious  uses  of  the  hands,  but  the 
enlightened  christian  looks  with  contempt 
and  pity  upon  such  puerilities. — If  the 
mind  is  sincerely  devout,  the  hands  will 
follow  in  correspondent  movements; — 
nor  will  it  ever  be  required  at  the 
throne  of  mercy,  what  was  their  previous 
occupation. 


7* 

10th.  "  Because  experience  shows  how 
the  devil  hath  sometimes  possessed  chris- 
tians in  a  play-house,  and  being  afterwards 
cast  out,  confessed  that  he  had  reason  to 
enter  them,  because  he  found  them  in  his 
own  place*  " 

Oh  Madam  !  what  a  foolish  devil !  Had 
he  kept  his  own  council,  what  noble  sport 
he  would  have  had  upon  his  royal  manor  ! 

*  Tertullian  very  gravely  gives  us  the  instance  in 
the  following  style  : 

"A certain  woman  went  to  the  play-house,  and 
brought  the  devil  home  with  her.  And  when  the 
unclean  spirit  was  pressed  in  the  exorcism,  and  asked 
how  he  durst  attack  a  christian  ? — I  have  done  no- 
thing (says  he)  but  what  I  can  justify — for  I  siezed 
her  upon  my  own  ground." 

De  SpectacvliiSj  Cap.  26. 

But  why  should  this  excite  surprise  ?  John  Wes- 
ley in  the  eighteenth  century,  declared  in  the  pre- 
sence of  a  numerous  company,  (Dr.  Coke  being  one) 
that  the  whole  bench  of  bishops  together,  could  not 
Walidate  the  reality  of  witchcraft  !  ! ! 


73 

— To  scare  the  game  from  his  net,  shows 
him  to  have  been  then  a  very  silly  Devil  in- 
deed. I  fancy  since  that  period  he  has 
grown  a  great  deal  wiser,  for  he  now  makes 
sure  of  his  prey,  without  acquainting  us 
whether  he  takes  it  from  the  tabernacle  or 
the  play-house. 

11th.  "Because  no  man  can  serve  two 
masters,  God  and  the  World,  as  those  chris- 
tians pretend  to  do,  that  frequent  both  the 
church  and  stage.*" 

No  man  can  serve  God  and  Mammon ; 
and  he  who  neglects  his  duty  to  his  Maker, 
or  suffers  it  to  be  abstracted  by  any  pur- 

*I  wonder  they  have  never  pressed  the  Decalogue 
into  the  service.  Thou  shalt  not  steal — would  evi- 
dently apply  to  the  author. 

Thou  shalt  not  commit  murder — might  be  very  ap- 
propriately applied  to  the  actors  . 


74 

suit,  (I  care  not  what  it  be)  commits  the 
crying  and  grievous  sin  of  ingratitude. — 
But  he  who  suffers  an  amusement  to  absorb 
his  devotions,  is  a  contemptible  idiot,  be- 
neath reproof,  and  would  disgrace  correc- 
tion.— This  rule,  like  most  of  the  objections 
furnished  in  the  days  of  the  fathers,  against 
the  stage,  no  longer  applies.  It  is  non- 
sense to  suppose  that  a  couple  of  hours  of 
rational  entertainment,  after  the  fatigues  of 
a  day,  can  interfere  with  our  duty  to  God 
or  man.  But,  in  the  time  Turtullian  lived, 
this  caution  was  absolutely  requisite ;  for 
the  Roman  shows  would  occupy  a  whole 
day,  and  by  their  pageantry  draw  off  the  ear- 
ly christians,  not  only  from  their  usual  avo- 


Thou  shalt  not  bow  down  nor  bend  before  any  gra- 
ven image — would  be  an  excellent  admonition  to  those 
audiences  that  bestow  such  enthusiastic  applause  upon 
canvass  camels,  wooden  horses,  pasteboard  men,  and 
basket  elephants  f 


75 

cations,  but  to  the  utter  neglect  of  all  their 
religious  forms  and  ceremonies. 

12th.  "  Because,  though  some  speeches 
in  a  play  are  witty  and  ingenious,  yet  there 
is  poison  at  the  bottom,  and  vice  is  only 
coloured  and  gilded  with  fine  language  and 
curious  emblems,  that  it  may  go  down  more 
glibly,  and  ruin  the  soul  more  artificially." 

This  is  the  only  rule  of  the  twelve  that 
has  survived  the  wreck  of  time,  and  still 
bears  a  capability  of  application  to  the  pre- 
sent stage.  Any  play,  confirming  the  truth 
of  the  remarks  contained  in  Tertullian's 
twelfth  objection,  should  be  considered  in 
the  most  reprehensible  point  of  view,  and 
consigned,  with  infamy,  to  oblivion. — But 
until  all  plays  are  proved  to  possess  this 
pernicious  inclination,  the  stage  remains 
uninjured  !  Now,  Madam,  is  it  not  really 
lamentable,  deplorable,  aggravating  to  the 


79 

extreme,  that  a  great  invention,  a  sublime 
art,  should  be  opposed  by  such  an  over- 
whelming mass  of  nonsense  and  stupidity  : 
nor  is  it  the  least  provoking  part,  to  be  con- 
scious of  the  ungenerous,  nefarious  mode 
our  opponents  take  to  direct  this  incongru- 
ous, misshapen  chaos  of  absurdities  to  our 
disadvantage. — The  great  and  good  men 
who  have  evinced  their  approbation  of  the 
dramatic  art,  not  only  by  their  countenance, 
but  by  their  writings,  are  depreciated,  dis- 
missed, with  every  mark  of  contempt,  de- 
creed ignorant  of  true  religion,  and  denoun- 
ced as  advocates  in  the  service  of  the  De- 
vil !  A  St.  Cyprian,  and  a  Tertullian,  on 
the  contrary,  are  held  forth  as  beings  of  the 
very  first  order  ;  whose  opinions,  upon 
this  one  subject,  are  held  as  sacred  oracles, 
irresistable,  irrefragable,  and  infallible  ! — 
Will  they  direct  us  where  we  can  find, 
among  the  fathers,  a  stronger  practical  les- 
son upon  the  belief  of  Christianity,  than  the 


77 

death -bed  of  Addison — the  author  of  two 
plays,  and  during  the  whole  of  his  life,  the 
warm  supporter,  friend  and  encourager  of 
the  drama — his  final  exit  displaying  and 
combining  the  mildness  of  a  christian,  with 
the  resolution  of  a  stoic  ! 

Yet  a  brazen  faced  sophist  has  had  the  te- 
merity to  affirm,  that  "the  theatre  made 
even  Addison  forget  his  virtue  and  his 
creed !  Which  of  the  fathers  had  the  ad- 
vantage of  Dr.  Johnson,  in  moral  practice 
or  intellectual  excellence? — Yet  he  is  the 
writer  of  a  tragedy,  and  his  chefd'ceuvres  are 
his  preface  to  Shakspeare's  works,  and  his 
prologue  for  the  opening  of  Drury-lane 
theatre. 

Where  will  they  find,  in  the  whole  round 
of  antiquity,  a  name  superior  to  Milton  ?— 
Why  should  they  invidiously  pass  him  over 
to  ransack  the  dust  for  beings  known  only 
by  their  polemical  squabbles,  and  venerar 


78 

ble  only  for  the  magnitude  and  ponderosity 
of  their  heavy  folios. — Even  if  you  did  not 
coincide  with  me  in  opinion  upon  this  sub- 
ject, yet  such  is  thesuperior  discrimination 
and  native  ingenuousness  of  your  mind, 
that  you  would  pronounce  yourself  a  con- 
vert to  the  stage,  by  a  single  perusal  of 
Milton's  preface  to  his  Sampson  Agonistes. 

"  Tragedy,"  says  he,  "  as  it  was  ancient- 
ly composed,  has  been  held  the  GREATEST 
moralist  and  most  profitable  of  all  other 
poems  :  therefore  said  by  Aristotle  to 
be  of  power,  by  raising  pity  and  fear,  or 
terror,  to  purge  the  mind  of  those  and  such 
like  passions ;  that  is,  to  temper  and  re- 
duce them  to  just  measure,  with  a  kind  of 
delight,  stirred  up  by, the  reading,  or  see- 
ing those  passions  well  imitated.  Hence 
philosophers  and  other  grave  writers,  as 
Cicero,  Plutarch, and  others,  frequent- 
ly cite  out  of  tragic  poets,  both  to  adorn 
and  illustrate  their  discourse.  The  apostle 


79 

Paul  himself  thought  it  not  unworthy  to 
insert  a  verse  of  Euripides  into   the  text 

OF     HOLY  SCRIPTURE.       I.    Cor.    C    15.  V. 

38. — And  Peraeus,  commenting  on  the  Re- 
velation, divides  the  whole  book  as  a  tragedy 
into  acts,  distinguished  each  by  a  chorus  of 
heavenly  harpings  and  songs  between." 

"  Heretofore  men  in  the  highest  dignity 
have  laboured  not  a  little  to  be  thought 
able  to  compose  a  Tragedy.  Of  that 
honour  Dionysius  the  elder,  was  no  less 
ambitious,  than  before  of  his  attaining  the 
tyranny.  Augustus  Cesar,  also  had  be- 
gun his  Ajax,  but  unable  to  please  his  own 
judgment  with  what  he  had  begun,  left  it 
unfinished.  Seneca  the  philosopher,  is  by 
some  thought  the  author  of  those  tragedies 
(at  least  the  best  of  them)  that  go  under 
his  name.  Gregory  Nazianzen,  a  fa- 
ther of  the  Church,  thought  it  not 
unbecoming  the  sanctity  of  his   person,  to 


write  a  tragedy  which  he  entitled  Christ's 
Sufferings." 

Now,  Madam,  what  say  you  to  the  strong 
evidence  in  our  favour,  thus  furnished  by  a 
religious  poet,  and  Latin  secretary  to  the 
puritanical  Oliver,  whose  attainments  as  a 
ischolar,  whose  skill  as  a  poet,  and  whose 
integrity  as  a  man,  stands  unimpeachable  ? 

It  is  with  extreme  regret  I  feel  myself 
under  the  necessity  of  detaining  you  a  few 
minutes  longer  in  this  disgusting  investiga- 
tion ;  but  I  have  yef  in  reserve,  a  few  more 
absurdities,  to  which  I  must  call  your  at- 
tention. 

Jeremy  Collier,  a  n&me  high  in  the  list 
of  our  correctors,  having  given  some  instan- 
ces of  the  lamentable  pruriencies,  to  be 
found  in  the  writers  of  his  day,  proceeds  to 
the  accusation  of  profaneness.      He  then 


81 

particularizes.  Some  of  his  extracts,!  will 
furnish  you  with,  that  you  may  feel  the  full 
value  of  his  pindaric  flight. 

Valentine,  in  Love  for  Love;  says 
*  I  am  Truth,  I  am  Truth. —  Who's  that 
that's  out  of  his  way  ? — /  am  Truth,  and  can 
set  him  right." 

Lady  Brute, in  The  Provoked  Wife, 
observes  "  The  part  of  a  down-right  wife, 
is  to  cuckold  her  husband  : — and  though  this 
is  against  the  strict  statute  law  of  religion, 
yet  if  there  were  a  Court  of  Chancery  in 
Heaven,  she  would  be  sure  to  cast  him.9* 

Young  Fashion  in  The  Relapse, 
when  plotting  against  his  elder  brother,  re- 
marks to  his  servant:  "Lory,  Providence 
thou  seest,  at  last,  takes  care  of  men  of  mer- 
it"— Berinthia  says  to  Amanda  :  "  Mr. 
Worthy  used  you  like  a  text,  he  took  you  all 

to  pieces" — and  she  concludes  with  this 
G 


pious  exhortation, %e  Now  consider  what  has 
been  said,  and  Heaven  give  you  grace  to  put 
it  in  practice" 

Mr.  Collier  declares,  "  There  are  few  of 
these  last  quotations  but  what  are  plain  blas- 
phemy, and  within  the  law.  They  look 
reeking  as  if  it  were  from  Pandemonium, 
and  almost  smell  of  fire  and  brimstone. 
This  is  an  eruption  of  Hell  with  a  witness! 
I  almost  wonder  the  smoke  of  it  has  not 
darkened  the  sun,  and  turned  the  air  to 
plague  and  poison !  These  are  outrageous 
provocations;  enough  to  arm  all  nature  in 
revenge ;  to  exhaust  the  judgments  of  Hea- 
ven, and  sink  the  island  into  the  sea! ! !" 

Observe,  that  I  am  far  from  considering 
these  profane  passages,  or  any  similar  to 
them,  justifiable. — No  — I  deeply  deplore 
the  propensity,  that  too  many  dramatic 
writers  have,  for  trifling  with  opinions,  trom 


83 

whence  wit  should  not  be  elicited,  nor  into 
which  ridicule  should  not  be  infused.  Had 
I  my  Lord  Chamberlain's  pen  to  exercise, 
upon  the  new  pieces,  I  must  candidly  con- 
fess, it  would  be  very  freely  employed  in 
the  erasure  of  those  lively  jests,  too  imbe- 
cile to  be  impious,  and  too  dull  to  be  wit- 
ty ;  viz.  "  I  would  shake  hands  with  Old 

Nick." "  A  fig  for  all  the  saints  in  the 

calendar,  &c.  &c.  &c. But  to  imagine 

the  follies  of  all  the  poets  that  ever  exist- 
ed, could  poison  the  air,  darken  the  sun, 
and  sink  the  island,  is  forming  an  idea  so 
base,  so  puerile,  so  unworthy  of  the  great 
enlightened  incomprehensible  Creator,  as 
to  make  it  a  doubt  which  is  the  most  repre- 
hensible, the  poet,  or  the  right  reverend 
critic. 

The  next  in  order,  gives  me  a  consider- 
able degree  of  pain  to  drag  to  public  light, 
and  it  is  with  no  small  degree  of  diffidence, 


84 

I  proceed  to  the  attack  of  an  opinion 
emanating  from  a  man  of  known  genius  and 
splendid  abilities. — "  But  men  are  but 
men." — And  when  I  reflect  upon  the  vio- 
lent adversary  of  the  amiable  Fenelon,  I 
am  released  from  a  great  part  of  my  aston- 
ishment, in  perusing  the  following  invective 
of  the  right  reverend  Bishop  of  Meaux, 
against  the  stage,  and  the  high  panegyric 
upon  the  Israelites  !  He  says,  "  They 
had  no  shows  to  entertain  but  their  feasts, 
their  sacrifices,  and  their  holy  ceremonies. 
They  were  formed,  by  their  constitution, 
to  a  plain  and  natural  way  of  living:  they 
knew  nothing  of  these  fancies  and  inven- 
tions of  Greece ;  so  that  to  the  praise  that 
Balaam  gives  them  that  there  is  no  en- 
chantment in  Jacob,  nor  divination  in  Is- 
rael, we  may  likewise  add,  there  was  no 
theatre  among  them,  nothing  of  these 
dangerous  amusements  to  be  met  with  :— 
This  innocent  and  undebauched  peo- 


85 

pie   took  their  recreations  at  home,  and 
made  their  children  their  diversion!" 

That  the  learned  Bossuet  should  so 
far  suffer  prejudice  to  cloud  his  reason  and 
fetter  his  understanding,  is  indeed  a  sub- 
ject not  more  for  astonishment  than  regret. 
To  find  a  man  of  his  elevated  rank  in  the 
republic  of  letters,  eulogising  the  Hebrews, 
and  giving  them  the  pre-eminence  to  all 
the  splendid  nations  of  antiquity,  must 
ever  stand  as  an  extraordinary  aberration 
of  genius,  and  be  classed  as  a  phenomena 

in  literature. What  could  recommend 

them  so  particularly  to  his  notice?  Was 
it  their  perverseness, their  ingratitude,  their 
cruelty? — Was  it  their  inclination  for  war, 
their  blood-thirsty  revenge,  their  intoler- 
ance, their  vacillancy,  their  superstition, 
their  pertinacious  ignorance  ? — Where  are 
their  virtues  recorded  ?  In  vain  do  we 
search  for  them   in  their   own  historians; 


86 

from  Moses  down  to  Josephus,  it  is  but  a 
melancholy  catalogue  of  the  base  qualities 
I  have  enumerated.  A  people  possessing 
all  the  brutal  vices  of  the  ancients,  without 
the  display  of  their  virtues,  or  the  adorn- 
ment ©f  their  elegancies.  A  people  whom 
neither  mercy  could  conciliate,  nor  mira- 
cles convince*. 

A  people,  that  of  all  others,  required  8t 
theatre  to  improve  their  morals,  and  ame- 
liorate their  manners. 

Let  their  own  writers  speak  for  them : 
•*  And  they  tempted  God  in  their  heart, 
"  by  asking  meat  for  their  lusts." 

*  How  shall  I  pardon  thee  for  this  ?  Thy 


*  God's  pamper'd  people,  whom,  debauch'd  with  ease, 
No  King  could  govern,  and  no  God  could  please. 

Dryden* 


87 

"children  have  forsaken  me,  and  sworn  by 
"them  that  are  no  Gods;  when  I  have  fed 
"  them  to  the  full,  then  they  committed 
"adultery  and  assembled  themselves  by 
"  troops  in  the  harlots  houses.  They  were 
"  as  fed  horses  in  the  morning,  and  every 
"  one  neighed  after  his  neighbour's  wife." 

"  Hear  the  word  of  the  Lord,  ye  chil- 
"  dren  of  Israel,  for  the  Lord  hath  a  contro- 
"  versy  with  the  inhabitants  of  the  land 
"  because  there  is  no  truth,  nor  mercy,  nor 
"knowledge  of  God  in  the  land.  By 
"swearing,  and  lying,  and  stealing, 
"and  committing  adultery,  they 
*  break  out,  and,  blood  toucheth  blood  !" 

Such  were  the  amusements  of  this  inno- 
cent and  undebauched  people*. 

■  *  When  I  express  myself  thus  about  the  ancient 
Jews,  I  do  not  mean  the  smallest  irreverence  to  their 


88 

Now,  Madam,  I  will  give  you  two  hap- 
py specimens  of  downright  stupid  puri- 
tanism. 

"A  remarkable  judgment  followed  on 
Herod  Agrippa,  who  appearing  on  the 
stage  in  a  silver  robe  of  admirable  work- 
manship, and  being  received  by  the  accla- 
mations of  the  people  as  a  god,  because 
of  the  beams  which  darted  from  his  appa- 
rel, by  the  reflection  of  the  sun,  was  im- 
mediately smitten  with  a  grievous  disease, 
by  something  that  appeared  in  the  shape  of 
an  Owl,  hovering  over  his  head  ;  and  be- 
ing tormented  for  five  days  with  an  intoler- 
able pain  in  his  bowels,  was  at  last  misera- 
bly devoured  by  worms !"  The  Lord  pre- 
mrve  us  !  !  ! 


great  and  holy  men. — No — their  characters  are  too 
exalted  to  be  the  subject  either  of  my  panegyric  or 
satire.    I  speak  only  of  the  nation  at  large. 


89 

This  will   only  excite  your    laughter; 
the  next  will  most  sensibly  call  forth  your 

indignation    and   reprobation! It  is   a 

liberal  opinion  proclaimed  from  the  pulpit, 
in  one  of  the  churches  of  Kingston-upon- 
Hull,  in  the  year  1792.  I  take  it  verbatim, 
from  Mr.  Wilkinson's  Wandering  Patentee, 
(the  late  manager  of  the  York  and  Hull 
theatres.) 

"  No  player  or  any  of  his  children 
ought  to  be  intitledtoa  christian  burial, 
or  even  to  lie  in  a  church  yard!  Not 
one  of  them  can  be  saved  ? — And  those 
who  enter  a  play-house,  are  equally 
certain  with  the  players  of  eternal 
damnation! — No  player  can  be  an  honest 
man  I !" 

It  is  utterly  undeserving  of  any  com- 
ment; if  the  man  should  be  now  living 
and  capable  of  reflection,  I  leave  him  to 


90 

the  comforfs  of  his  own  consolation. — If 
he  has  departed,  it  is  my  duty  to  for^i^e 
him,  and  leave  the  above  on  record,  as  a 
memento  of  his  crime! 

I  cannot  injustice  close  my  retrospective 
examination,  without  registering  the  opin- 
ion of  Jeremy  Collier  upon  the  drama.  The 
praise  of  an  enemy,  Madam,  must  be  ever 
valuable. — Collier  was  our  severe  accuser, 
yet  he  says,  "  The  business  of  plays,  is  to 
commend  virtue,  and  discountenance  vice ; 
to  show  the  uncertainty  of  human  greatness, 
the  sudden  turns  of  fate,  and  the  unhappy 
conclusions  of  violence  and  injustice; 'tis 
to  expose  the  singularities  of  pride  and 
fancy,  to  make  folly  and  falsehood  contemp* 
tible,  and  to  bring  every  thing  that  is  ill 
under  infamy  and  neglect."  He  further 
says,  "The  wit  of  man  cannot  invent  any 
thing  more  conducive  to  virtue  and  des- 
tructive of  vice  than  the  drama,  and  1  grant 


01 

the  abuse  of  a  thing  is  no  argument 
against  the  use  of  it. — I  have  kept  this  by 
way  of  a  bonne  bouche.  He  was  the  most 
formidable  of  our  opponents,  and  like 
Prynne,  has  furnished  the  subsequent 
vain  antagonists  with  food  for  calumny  and 
aspersion. 

And  now  permit  me  to  congratulate  you 
and  myself,  for  having  at  length  waded 
through  this  strange  medley  ;  and  you  will 
now  possibly  inquire  for  the  necessity 
of  collecting  all  these  absurdities?  My 
good  Madam,  the  obloquy  thrown  upon  the 
stage  professors  has  originated  from  these 
extravagant  flights.  From  this  source  the 
Romish  clergy  imbibed  the  presumptuous 
audacity  to  withhold  christian  interment 
from  actors.  From  these  mouldy  docu- 
ments the  puritans  pertinaciously  and 
zealously  have  contended  for  the  demoli- 
tion of  the  stage,  and  the  suppression  of 


92 

the  drama. — To  these  antiquated  notions  I 
am  indebted  for  slights  that  disgrace  me 
in    my  own    eyes,     and     depreciate     me 

in    the     estimation     of    the    world. 1 

therefore  entertain  a  hope,  that  by  this 
candid  view  of  the  ancient  stage,  with 
the  minute  examination  into  the  opin- 
ions of  its  cotemporary  accusers,  I  shall 
have  fully  exposed  the  impropriety  of 
calling  them  in  to  decide  upon  any  dis- 
pute that  may  arise,  on  this  long  contended 
subject,  in  the  nineteenth  century.  I  like- 
wise wish  to  lead  the  contending  parties  to 
a  more  rational  exercise  of  their  energies, 
by  urging  them  to  a  calm  investigation  of 
the  thing  itself,  its  merits  and  its  defects ;  the 
good  derived,  or  the  evils  arising  from  its 
existence,  for  the  last  two  centuries.  If 
we  are  to  be  abused,  let  me  entreat  them  to 
exercise  their  ingenuity,  and  furnish  us 
with  some  novelty  in  their  censures.  Do 
not  let  us  be  stunned  by  the  repetition  of 


93 

quotations  incapable  of  application  ;  sen- 
tences without  sense,  and  philippics  with- 
out poignancy.  I  received  much  amuse- 
ment in  meeting  with  an  attack  upon  the 
stage  by  a  Chinese  writer, — with  great 
pleasure  and  frankness  I  present  it  to  our 
English  assailants,  and  hope  it  will  stimu.. 
late  them  to  emulation. 

"  Plays  are  fire-works  of  wit,  to  be 
viewed  only  on  the  night  of  leisure. — 
They  degrade  and  dirty  those  who  let 
them  off ;  they  fatigue  the  delicate  eyes 
of  the  sages  ;  they  supply  dangerous 
ruminations  to  idleness;  they  stain  the 
women  and  the  children  who  approach 
too  often  and  too  near;  they  make  a 
smoke  and  a  stink  more  lasting  than  the 
gaiety  of  their  light;  they  dazzle  but  to 
mislead  ;  and  they  often  occasion  ruinous 
conflagration  !" 


94 

This,  madam,  is  a  brilliant  display  of 
philosophical  fire-works,  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  our  friends  ! — Its  coruscations 
will  not  be  dimmed,  nor  its  figurative 
excellence  be  diminished,  by  my  declar- 
ing the  Chinese  stage  is  exactly  upon  a 
par  with  the  original  cart  of  Thespis,  con- 
structed in  the  same  manner,  and  degraded 
by  a  similar  jumble  of  puerilities,  inde- 
cencies, and  improbabilities,  the  witness- 
ing of  which  would  excite  as  much  indig- 
nation in  the  breast  of  a  Chinese  Confu- 
cius, as  it  did  of  old  in  the  breast  of  the 
Athenian  Solon. 

To  revert  once  more  to  the  Heathen 
philosophers  and  church  fathers,  there 
seems  something  very  unaccountable  and 
perverse  in  our  rigid  sectaries,  looking  up 
to  them  for  instruction  upon  any  subject. 
Why  should  they  require  any  other  guide 
than  that  set  down  and  bequeathed  to 
us,  by  our  great  master  and  his  disciples  ? 


95 

.  Why  should  they,  upon  every  trivial 
occasion  of  life,  refer  us  to  the  scrip- 
ture for  instruction  and  information,  and 
yet  upon  the  subject  of  stage,  or 
no  stage,  a  subject  they  have  them- 
selves magnified,  as  a  matter  of  the 
greatest  importance;  why  wish  to  de- 
prive us  of  every  advantage  the  gospel 
may  hold  forth,  and,  by  collecting  a 
heap  of  rubbish,  endeavour  to  hide  it  from 
our  view? 

What  claim  to  our  attention  can  the 
Heathen  philosophers,  or  early  christian 
fathers  possess,  upon  a  present  speculative 
point  ? — I  mean,  Madam,  it  is  so  far  spec- 
ulative, that  a  nation  can  exist,  and  proba- 
bly flourish  without  a  theatre — so  it  could 
if  deprived  of  poetry — of  painting — of 
music of  statuary or  even  of  Me- 
thodism ! For  my  own  part,  the  philo- 
sophers and  fathers  I  boldly  reject ;  1  dis- 


96 

claim  subjection  to  their  jurisdiction  in 
theatricals,  and  make  my  appeal  at  once  to 
the  scripture,  the  proper  guide  for  chris- 
tians !  If  the  practice  of  the  present  stage 
be  not  at  variance  with  the  precepts  of  our 
Saviour  and  his  disciples,  if  that  divine 
record  does  not  positively  condemn  our 
pursuits,  I  shall  remain  as  perfectly  indif- 
ferent upon  this  subject,  to  the  opinions  of 
Tertuilian  and  Cyprian,  as  I  should  be  to 
the  ipse  dixit  of  TOM  O'NOKES,  or 
JOHN  O'STYLES!!! 

And  now  Madam,  with  every  sense  of 
gratitude  for  your  attention  and  perseve- 
rance, I  respectfully  take  my  leave,  by  sub- 
scribing myself, 

Madam, 
Your  most  obedient, 
Much  obliged,  humble  Servant, 
Robert  ManseL 


FATHER  CAFFARO'S  LETTER 

UPON  THE 

Lawfulness  or   Unlawfulness  of  the  Stage ; 

WITH  A 

BRIEF  INTRODUCTION. 


INTRODUCTION. 

When  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  encounter  Father 
Caffaro's  discourse,  it  struck  me  as  a  most  suitable 
prolegomena  to  a  stage-defence. — I  hailed  him  as  a 
powerful  ally — I  congratulated  myself  upon  meeting 
with  an  ecclesiastic  who  had  undertaken  the  task  of 
investigating  the  objections  started  by  the  earlier 
churchmen,  and  combating  them  upon  their  own 
grounds.  I  conceived  (however  the  world  might  des- 
pise my  feeble  efforts,  or  condemn  the  liberties  I  have 
taken  with  opinions  rendered  venerable  by  antiquity 
and  sacred  by  prescription)  the  religious  and  conscien- 
tious would  pay  some  degree  of  deference  to  one  of 
their  own  community. — Nor   must   my    illustrious 

H 


98 

coadjutor  be  rejected  because  he  was  of  a  different 
persuasion  to  our  present  adversaries,  nor  reproached 
with  the  terms  of  Papist  and  Jesuit  to  depreciate 
his  candour,  industry  and  information.  It  was  my 
design  (as  I  have  premised)  to  have  made  him  my  in- 
troducer  to  the  public,  and  under  his  venerable  pro- 
tection, I  might  perhaps  have  more  certainly  com- 
manded respect  and  attention,  but  some  considerable 
time  having-  elapsed  from  the^jfinal  arrangement  of 
<4  Free  Thoughts,"  to  the  period  of  delivering  the  work 
into  the  hands  of  my  publisher,  I  had  leisure,  oppor- 
tunity, and  inclination  to  collect  fresh  matter,  and  1 
was  tempted  to  throw  it  into  the  form  of  a  prefatory 
letter,  by  which  means  the  learned  professor  is  re- 
moved from  the  van  to  the  centre.  He  therefore  (to 
pursue  the  metaphor)  loses  the  post  of  honour,  and 
my  antagonists  may  take  advantage  of  the  undisciplin- 
ed state,  and  badly  marshalled  system,  evident  in 
the  van  and  rear — but  my  centre  will  remain 
inviolable,  and  bid  defiance  to  all  their  arts  and  all 
their  efforts. 

Father  Cajfartfs  letter,  or  rather  the  translation,  is 
prefixed  to  a  tragedy  written  by  a  Mr.Motteu3\c.'d\\ed 
Beauty  in  Distress,  published  in  the  year  lb98— 


99 

H  appears  the  English  dramatist  was  himself  labouring 
under  some  conscientious  scruples,  and  applied  for 
satisfaction  on  that  head,  to  a  Divine  of  the  Church 
of  England,  who  favoured  him  with  the  following 
answer. 


To  Mr.  MOTTEUX, 


To  Mr.  MOTTEUX, 

AUTHOR  OF  THE  TRAGEDY  CALLED 

"BEAUTY  in  DISTRESS," 

Concerning  the  Lawfulness  and  Unlawful- 
ness of  Plays. 


Sir, 
Since  you  have  been  pleased  to  desire  my  opinion 
about  the  lawfulness  or  unlawfulness  of  writing"  plays 
for  the  stage,  I  shall  give  it  you  with  all  the  freedom 
and  impartiality  which  becomes  one  of  my  function. 
Upon  reflecting  on  the  present  management  of  our 
theatres,  on  the  actions,  humours,  and  characters,  which 
are  daily  represented  there,  which  are  for  the  most  part 
so  lewd  and  immodest,  as  to  tend  very  much  to  the 
debauching  the  youth  and  gentry  of  our  English  na- 
tion ;  I  might  very  well  dissuade  you  from  giving  any 
countenance  to  such  unmanly  practices,  by  offering 
any  of  your  works  to  the  service  of  the  stage. 

But  though  theatrical  representations  are  become 
an  offence  and  scandal  to  most,  yet  I  am  not  of  their 


101 

mind,  who  think  plays  are  absolutely  unlawful,  and 
the  best  way  to  reform  is  wholly  to  suppress  them; 
for  certainly  they  might  be  of  very  great  use  not 

ONLY  FOR  THE  DIVERSION  AND  PLEASURE,  BUT  ALS° 
FOR  THE  CORRECTION  AND  INFORMATION  OF  MAN- 
KIND. It  is  no  crime  to  eat  or  drink,  but  the  sin  lies 
in  the  excessive  and  immoderate  use,  or  rather  abuse 
of  those  things,  which  we  either  eat  or  drink ;  the 
case  is  much  the  same  with  plays.  In  their  own  na- 
ture they  are  innocent  and  harmless  diversions ;  but 
then  indeed  they  become  sinful  and  unlawful,  to  be 
made,  acted,  or  seen,  when  they  transgress  the  bounds 
of  virtue  and  religion;  shock  our  nature;  put  our 
modesty  to  the  blush ;  imprint  nauseous  and  unbecom- 
ing- images  on  our  minds  ;  and,  in  a  word,  when  they 
are  such  as  are  a  scandal  to  the  author,  and  an  offence 
to  the  audience. 

I  am  not  willing  to  believe  so  hardly  of  the  age 
(though  it  is  bad  enough  of  all  conscience)  but  that 
most  of  the  persons  who  frequent  the  theatres  would 
be  as  well  pleased  to  see  a  play  of  decorum  and  mo- 
desty acted,  as  they  would  be  to  see  a  lewd  and  athe- 
istical comedy.  It  is  upon  this  consideration  that  I  am 
willing  to  encourage  you  in  your  design  of  writing 
plays  for  the  stage  ;  for  you  have  too  much  prudence, 


102 

honour  and  conscience,  to  subject  thesAcREp  nine  to 
base  and  servile  ends.  It  is  to  be  hoped,  that  such  as 
you  may  be  a  means  of  reforming  the  abuses  of  the 
stage,  and  of  showing  the  world  that  a  poet  may  be  a 
man  of  sense  and  parts,  without  renouncing  his 
virtue. 

I  shall  not  trouble  you  at  present  with  any  farther 
thoughts  of  my  own,  but  will  give  you  the  sentiments 
of  a  very  judicious  divine  upon  this  subject. 

It  seems  he  was  consulted  by  a  gentleman,  whether 
plays  were  lawful  or  not,  and  whether  he  might  in 
conscience  exercise  his  parts  that  way?  to  this  the 
divine  replies  in  the  ensuing  letter,  showing  how  far 
plays  are  lawful  and  necessary,  and  when  they  become 
unlawful  and  sinful :  the  resolutions  of  these  will,  1 
trust,  come  up  to  your  purpose.  By  this  judicious 
dissertation,  you  will  find  your  whole  desire  satisfied. 
You  will  perceive  he  has  brought  the  schoolmen  to 
speak  in  favour  of  the  Drama,  and  has  explained  the 
invectives  of  the  fathers  against  it,  so  as  to  make  them 
on  its  side.  He  has  answered  the  most  material  ob- 
jections which  can  be  brought  against  the  stage,  and 
given  very  necessary  precautions  to  such  as  go  to  the 
play-houses.— You  will  perceive  he  is  a  French  divine,, 


103 

(Father  Caflaro,  brother  to  the  Duke  of  ■  ■■  )  one 
of  the  Romish  religion,  who  has  given  us  his  thoughts 
in  the  form  of  a  letter ;  and  it  is  in  behalf  of  the  plays 
acted  in  France  that  he  argues.  But  were  he  to 
see  our  English  stage,  he  would  never  say  such  fine 
things  of  it;  unless  he  saw  it  stocked  only  with  plays 
and  entertainments  innocently  diverting  and  strictly 
moral,  as  those  which  you  have  hitherto  so  successfully 
published,  are  generally  allowed  to  be. 

With  a  compliment  to   Mr.  Motteux    upon  his 
"  Beauty  in  Distress,"  which  it  would  be  superflu- 
ous transcribing,  his  reverence  subscribes  himself, 
Sir, 

Your  real  friend  to  serve  you. 
1697—8. 

This  tragedy  is  likewise  honoured  by  some  of  Mr. 
Dryden's  lines  to  the  author  being  affixed  to  the  piece. 
Their  application  comes  so  immediately  home  to  the 
views  of  the  present  opposers  of  dramatic  amusement, 
that  I  cannot  resist  my  wish  to  give  them  a  place,  pre- 
vious to  entering  upon  the  learned  Father's  discourse. 


104 

TO  MY  FRIEND  THE  AUTHOR. 

'Tis  hard,  my  friend,  to  write  in  such  an  age, 
As  damns  not  only  poets,  but  the  stage. 
That  sacred  art,  by  Heav'n  itself  infus'd, 
Which  Moses,  David,  Solomon  have  us'd, 
Is  now  to  be  no  more :  The  muse's  foes 
Would  sink  their  Maker's  praises  into  prose. 
Were  they  content  to  prune  the  lavish  vine 
Of  straggling"  branches,  and  improve  the  wine, 
Who  but  a  madman  would  his  faults  defend? 
All  would  submit,  for  all  but  fools  would  mend. 
But,  when  to  common  sense  they  give  the  lie, 
And  turn  distorted  words  to  blasphemy, 
They  give  the  scandal ;   and  the  wise  discern, 
Their  glosses  teach  an  age  too  apt  to  learn. 
What  I  have  loosely  or  profanely  writ, 
Let  them  to  fires  (their  due  desert)  commit. 
Nor  whenaccus'd  by  me,  let  them  complain  : 
Their  faults  and  not  their  functions,  I  arraign. 
Rebellion,  worse  than  whichcraft,  they  pursu'd; 
The  pulpit  preach'd  the  crime  :  the  people  ru'd. 
The  stage  was  silenc'd  for  the  saints  would  see 
In  fields  perform'd  their  plotted  tragedy. 
But  let  us  first  reform :  and  then  so  live, 
That  we  may  teach  our  teachers  to  forgive, 


105 

Our  desk  be  placed  below  their  lofty  chairs, 
Our's  be  the  practice,  as  the  precept  theirs. 
The  moral  part  at  least  we  may  divide, 
Humility  reward,  and  punish  pride  : 
Ambition,  int'rest,  avarice  accuse : 
These  form  the  province  of  the  tragic  muse. 

There  are  upwards  of  twenty  lines  following-  these, 
(highly  flattering  to  the  poetical  character  of  Mr. 
Motteux  ;  but  as  he  has  not  had  the  good  fortune  to 
survive  the  sweeping  influence  of  two  centuries)  it 
would  only  be  trespassing  on  the  reader's  time  and 
indulgence  by  making  the  addition. 

Father  Caffaro  having  quoted  only  three  texts 
applied  by  the  opponents  of  the  drama  against  the  use 
of  thestage,  viz.  Isaiah  c.  3.  v.  16,  17.  I.  Cor.  c.  10. 
v.  7.  I.  Thes.  c.  5.  v.  22.— I  am  compelled  by 
candour,  a  love  of  truth,  and  the  strong  desire  of 
having  the  question  tried  upon  scriptural  ground,  to 
add  those  texts  I  have  met  with  in  various  authors  who 
have  written  upon  this  subject.  Proverbs  c.  23.  v.  1. 
Matt.  c.  5.  v.  28.  Luke,  c.  8.  v.  14.  John,  c.  2. 
V.  16.  Rom.  c.  13.  v.  13,  14.  Gal.  c.  5.  v.  16. 
Eph.  c.  5.  v.  4.  Col.  c.  3.  v.  2, 3,  5, 8.— c.  4.  v.  6. 
I.  Tim.  c.  2.  v.  5,  6,  9.     II.  Tim.  c.  2.  v.  3, 4.    Titus 


106 

c.  3.  v.  3.    James,  c.  4.  v.  3.    I.  Pet.  c.  1.  v.  17. — 
c.  5.  v.  8* 

I  have  myself  diligently  sought  after,  and  attentively 
perused  those  several  passages ;  but  such  is  my  blind- 
ness, ignorance,  or  stupidity,  I  cannot  for  the  life  of 
me  discover  the  smallest  affinity  between  the  differ- 
ent verses  and  the  thing  under  reprobation.  However, 
conviction  being  my  object,  I  shall  ever  consider 
myself  indebted  to  that  man  who  will  prove,  to  my 
sa'  isfaclion,  the  propriety  of  applying  them  to  the 
condemnation  of  the  drama. 


A   LETTER 

TROM     THE 

LEARNED    FATHER    CAFFARO, 

Professor  of  Divinity  in  Paris, 

TO   A 

DRAMATIC  WRITER, 

Who  had,  from  conscientious  scruples,  con- 
sulted the  Reverend  Divine,  upon  the 
Lawfulness  or  Unlawfulness  of  Writing 
for  the  Stage : 

WRITTEN  IN  THE  YEAR  16 . 

Sir, 

I  have  avoided  as  much  as  T  could, 
giving  you  my  opinion  in  writing,  about 
plays,  considering  the  delicacy  of  the  sub- 
ject, and  my  own  incapacity.  But  since 
you  press  me  still  to  cure  you  of  that  scru- 
pulous fear  which  lies  upon  your  mind,  I 
must  pass  over  those  two  difficulties,  choos- 
ing rather  to  expose  myself  on  your  ac- 
count, than  not  to  ease  jou  of  your  doubts. 


108 

In  truth,  Sir,  the  more  I  examine  the  holy 
fathers,  the  more  I  read  the  divines,  and 
consult  the  casuists,  the  less  able  I  find  my- 
self to  determine  any  thing  in  this  matter. 
I  had  no  sooner  found  something  in  favour 
of  the  Drama  among  the  schoolmen,  who 

ARE  ALMOST  ALL  OF   THEM  FOR  ALLOWING   IT, 

but  I  perceived  myself  surrounded  with 
abundance  of  passages  out  of  the  Councils, 
and  the  Fathers,  who  have  all  of  them  de- 
clared against  public  shows.* — This  ques- 
tion would  have  been  soon  determined,  if 
the  Holy  Scriptures  had  said  any  thing 
about  it.  But,  as  Tertullian  very  well  ob- 
serves, "  We  no  where  find  that  we  are  as 
expressly  forbidden  in  scripture  to  go  to 
the  circus  and  theatre,  to  see  the  fightings 
of  gladiators,  or  be  assisting  in  any  show, 
as  we  are  forbid  to  worship  idols,  or  the 
being  guilty  of  murder,  treason,  and  adul- 

*  Vide  introductory  letter,  page  59 — 75. 


109 
tery."  If  you  read  the  scriptures  over 

AND  OVER  YOU  WILL  NEVER  MEET  WITH  ANY 
EXPRESS  AND  PARTICULAR  PRECEPT  AGAINST 

plays.  The  fathers  assert,  that  we  cannot 
in  conscience  be  any  ways  assisting  to  the 
drama.  The  schoolmen  maintain  the  con- 
trary :  let  us  therefore  endeavour  to  make 
use  of  St.  Cyprian's  rule,  who  says,  that 
reason  is  to  be  heard,  where  Holy  Writ  is  si- 
lent; and  let  us  try  to  reconcile  the  conclu- 
sions of  the  divines,  with  the  determina- 
tion of  the  fathers  of  the  church.  But 
because  it  is  a  very  delicate  point,  and 
the  question  consists  in  reconciling  them 
together,  I  will  not  advance  any  thing  of 
my  own  sentiments,  but  bring  St.  Thomas 
Aquinas  to  speak  for  me;  who  being  on 
one  side  a  religious  father,  and  holy  doc- 
tor of  the  church ;  and,  on  the  other 
side,  the  angel  of  the  school,  the  master 
and  head  of  all  the  divines,  he  seems  to  me 
the  most  proper  of  any  to  reconcile  the  dis- 
agreeing opinions  of  both  parties. 


110 

In  the  second  part  of  his  "  Summs," 
among  others,  he  starts  this  question  : 
"What  ought  we  to  think  of  sports  and  di- 
versions?" And  he  returns  an  answer  to 
himself,  that  provided  they  are  moderate, 
they  are  not  only  free  from  sin,  but  in  some 
measure  good,  and  conformable  to  that 
virtue,  which  Aristotle  stiles  Eutrapelia, 
whose  business  it  is  to  set  just  bounds  to  our 
pleasures.  The  reason  which  healledgesfor 
it  is  this :  A  man  being  fatigued  by  the  seri- 
ous actions  of  life,  requires  an  agreeable  re* 
freshment,  which  he  can  find  no  where  so 
well  as  in  plays:  and  to  support  his  opi- 
nion, he  quotes  St.  Augustin,  who  says,  "  I 
would  have  you  take  care  of  yourself,  for  it 
is  (he  part  of  a  wise  man,  sometimes  to  un- 
bend his  mind,  which  is  too  intent  upon  his 
business." 

"  Now,  (continues  St.  Thomas)  how  can 
*his  relaxation  of  the  mind  be  effected,  if 


Ill 

not  by  diverting  words  or  actions  ?  'Tis 
not  therefore  sinful,  or  unbecoming  a  wise 
and  virtuous  man,  to  allow  himself  some  in- 
nocent pleasures." — Aquinas  even  accounts 
it  a  sin  to  refrain  from  diversion  : — "  Be- 
cause whatever  is  contrary  to  reason  is  vi* 
cious ;  now  it  is  contrary  to  reason  that  a 
man  should  be  so  unsociable  and  hard  up- 
on others  as  to  oppose  their  innocent  plea- 
sures, never  to  bear  a  part  in  their  diver- 
sions, or  contribute  to  them  by  his  words 
or  actions.  Therefore  Seneca  very  justly 
and  reasonably  says; — '  Let  your  conversa- 
tion be  so  tempered  with  prudence  and  dis- 
cretion, that  none  may  charge  you  with 
being  sullen,  or  despise  you  as  one  unfit 
for  social  conversation  :  for  it  is  a  vice  to 
quarrel  with  all  mankind,  and  thus  to  be 
imputed  a  morose  and  savage  creature." 

It  is  easy  to  determine,  that  the  Father 
comprehends  the  stage  under  the  general 


112 

term  of  recreations,  by  his  recommending 
agreeable  words  and  actions  for  the  relaxa- 
tion of  the  mind. — This  is  the  peculiar  pro- 
vince of  plays,  being  composed  of  wit  and 
action,  such  as  produce  delight,  and  recre- 
ate the  mind.  I  do  not  think  you  will  find 
in  any  other  diversion  words  and  actions 
thus  combined  together. 

But  let  us  attend  once  more  to  this  great 
scholar,  "  It  seems  (says  he)  as  if  these 
players  who  spend  their  whole  lives  on  the 
stage,  did  transgress  the  bounds  of  innocent 
diversion.  If  then  excessive  diversions  be 
a  sin  (as  indubitably  it  is)  the  players  are  in 
a  state  of  sin ;  and  so  likewise  are  all  those 
who  assist  at  stage  representations,  and 
they  who  give  any  thing  to  them  are  abet- 
tors of  their  sin. — Yet  this  appears  false, 
for  we  read  in  the  lives  of  the  fathers,  that 
one  day  it  was  revealed  to  St.  Paphnutius, 
that  in  the  other  life  he  should  not  arrive  to 


113 

a  higher  degree  of  glory  than  a  certain 
player," 

If  this  objection,  started  by  St.  Thomas, 
appears  too  strong,  his  answer  is  at  once 
satisfactory,  delicate,  and  solid.  "  Diver- 
sion (adds  the  Doctor)  being  necessary  for 
the  comfort  of  human  life,  we  may  appoint 
several  employments  for  this  end  which  are 
lawful.  Thus  the  employment  of  players 
being  established  to  afford  men  an  honest 
recreation,  has  nothing  in  it,  in  my  mind, 
which  deserves  to  be  prohibited ;  and  I  do 
not  look  upon  them  to  be  in  a  state  of  sin, 
provided  they  make  use  of  this  sort  of  re- 
creation with  moderation;  neither  speaking 
nor  acting  any  thing  which  is  unlawful ; 
mixing  nothing  that  is  sacred  with  pro- 
fane ;  and  never  acting  in  a  prohibited 
time.  And  though  they  may  have  no  other 
employment  of  life,  like  other  men,  yet  be- 
tween them  and  their  God,  they  have  often 


114 

very  serious  employments — such  as  when 
they  pray  to  their  maker,  govern  their  pas- 
sions, and  give  alms  to  the  poor. — From 
hence  I  conclude,  that  those  who  in  mode- 
ration pay  or  assist  them,  are  guilty  of  no 
sin,  but  do  an  act  of  justice,  since  they  on- 
ly give  them  the  reward  of  their  labour. 
But  if  any  one  should  squander  his  whole 
estate  upon  them,  or  countenance  players 
who  act  after  a  scandalous  and  unlawful 
way,  I  make  no  question  but  that  he  sins 
and  gives  them  encouragement  to  sin  ;  and 
'tis  in  this  sense  St.  Augustin's  words  are  to 
be  taken  when  he  says,  That  to  give  ones 
estate  away  to  players,  is  rather  a  vice  than 
a  virtue" 

To  prove  that  it  is  only  the  excess 
which  ought  to  be  condemned  in  all  sports 
ano  diversions,  and  that  the  holy  fathers 
had  no  other  design  in  declaiming  against 
plays,  St.  Thomas  describes  what  he  means 


115 

by  excess,  and  lays  it  down  as  an  indispen- 
sinle  maxim,  that  every  thing  should  be  re- 
gulated according  to  reason,  and  whatever 
transgresses  this  rule,  is  to  be  reckoned  su- 
perfluous, and  that  which  does  not  come 
up  to  it,  defective:  "  Now,"  continues  he 
"  diverting  words  and  actions  may  be  regu- 
lated according  to  reason  : — The  excess 
therefore  in  them  is,  when  they  do  not 
agree  to  this  rule,  or  are  defective  by  the 
circumstances  which  ought  to  be  applied 
to  them." 

It  is  upon  this  system  that  we  ought  to 
return  an  answer  to  the  authorities  of  the 
fathers  of  the  church,  since,  according  to 
St.  Thomas,  they  declaim  only  against  the 
excess  in  plays,  and  we  shall  offer  nothing 
from  ourselves  on  this  subject,  but  what 
shall  be  in  imitation  of  this  great  Doctor 
who  replying  to  one,  intends  it  as  an  answer 


116 

to  a  ll,  which  is  the  case  when  he  comments 
upon  the  observations  of  St.  Chrysostom. 

That  eloquent  father  had  said,  that  it  was 
not  Cod  who  was  the  author  of  sports,  but 
the  Devil  ;  and  the  more  to  back  what  he 
had  advanced,  produced  this  passage  out 
of  holy  writ;  The  people  sat  down  to  eat 
and  drink,  and  rose  up  to  play.  But  St, 
Thomas  is  for  having  these  words  of  the 
great  Chrysostom  to  be  understood  of  ex- 
cessive and  immoderate  sports,  and  he  adds, 
that  excess  in  play  is  a  foolish  pleasure, 
stiled  by  St.  Gregory,  the  daughter  of  glut- 
tony and  sin;  and  that  in  this  sense  it  is 
written  that  the  people  sat  down  to  eat  and 
drink,  and  rose  up  to  play.*— This  is  the 

*  I  tremble  at  my  temerity  in  presuming  to  give  an 
opinion  upon  a  text  in  so  learned  and  venerable  a 
company ;  but  we  frequently  look  for  happiness  in 
the  clouds,  when  it  is  beneath  our  feet — and  plain  un- 
lettered sense,  may  sometimes  discover  what  the  re- 


117 

answer  which  we  are  to  make  to  whatever 
may  be  objected  against  us  out  of  the  fa- 
thers ;  and  the  rather, because  inexamining 
them  without  prejudice  it  is  easy  to  per- 
ceive that  if  they  did  declaim  so  much 
against  the  drama,  it  was  only  because  in 
their  times  its  expressions  were  crimi- 
nal and  immoderate ;  whereas  had  they 
seen  it  as  it  is  now  a-days  in  France,  con- 
formable to  goodness  and  right  reason,  they 
would  not  have  inveighed  against  it. — But 
plays  as  they  were  acted  in  the  time  of  our 
forefathers,  were  so  abominable  and   infa- 


finementof  the  schools  will  envelope  with  mystery. — 
It  strikes  me,  that  the  real  interpretation  of  the  text 
is  a  reproach  to  gluttony,  which  they  sit  down  to  en- 
joy— i.  e.  prolong  it  so  as  to  make  it  the  business  of 
their  lives — and  when  they  rise,  it  is  merely  to  trifle. 
Our  revered  Shakspeare  has  expressed  himself  upon 
another  subject  nearly  in  the  same  manner.  "  You 
rise  to  play,  and  go  to  bed  to  work.v 

R.  M. 


118 

mous,  that  those  pious  men  could  not  but 
employ  their  greatest  zeal  against  a  thing 
which  was  so  very  offensive  to  the  church. 
For  it  is  not  the  excess  of  plays,  for  instance, 
against  which  Tertullian  cries  out  !* — '"Let 
us  not,"  says  he,  "go  to  the  theatre,  which 
is  a  particular  scene  of  immodesty  and  de- 
bauchery, where  nothing  is  liked  but  what 
is  disapproved  elsewhere  ;  and  what  is 
thought  most  excellent,  is  commonly  what 
is  infamous  and  lewd.  A  player,  for  in- 
stance, acts  there  with  the  most  shameful 
and  naked  gestures  ;  women,  forgetting  the 
modesty  of  their  sex,  dare  do  that  on  the 
stage,  and  in  the  view  of  all  the  world, 
which  others  would  blush  to  commit  at 
home,  where  nobody  could  see  them. — 
There  the  most  disgusting  scenes  are  re- 
presented by  the  infamous  victims  of 'pub- 
lic debauchery,  most  wretchedly  and  shame- 

*  Vide  introductory  letter,  page  59 — 75. 


119 

fully  exposed  to  the  view  of  such  women 
as  are  supposed  to  be  ignorant  of  such  li- 
centiousness.— They  are  there  made  the 
„  subject  of  the  young  men's  mirth  ;  there 
you  are  directed  to  the  place  where  they 
reside;  there  they  will  tell  you  how  much 
they  get  by  their  infamous  trade,  and  there, 
in  a  word,  those  prostitutes  are  commend- 
ed, in  the  presence  of  those  who  ought  to 
be  ignorant  of  all  those  things.  I  say  no- 
thing (adds  this  father)  of  what  ought  to  be 
buried  in  eternal  silence,  for  fear  that  by 
barely  mentioning  such  horrid  actions  I 
should  in  some  measure  be  guilty  of  them.*" 


*  Let  us  hope  (for  the  honour  of  human  nature)  that 
the  zeal  and  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  holy 
fathers  imperceptibly  led  them  to  exaggerate  the  im- 
proprieties of  the  ancient  stage.  Prurient  it  certain- 
ly was,  and  reprehensible  to  a  lamentable  extent ; 
yet  1  am  inclined  to  think  the  discription  given  by  the 
ecclesiastics,  over-charged. — Tertullian,  in  the  above 
invective,  talking  of  the  Roman  youth  being  directed 


120 

But  the  other  fathers  are  not  so  reserved 
as  he,  and  make  no  scruple  to  discover  all 
they  know  about  it.  You  must  not  ima- 
gine that  I  am  ambitious  of  quoting  all  they 
have  said  :  Those  matters  which  are  so 
freely  described  in  another  language,  might 
prove  offensive  in  ours ,  therefore  I  will  only 
leave  you  to  guess  what  enormities  they 
have  mentioned,  by  some  of  those  lesser 
infamies  of  which  I  dare  give  an  account 
out  of  their  writings. 


to  the  residence  of  the  Cyprian  fair,  and  being  made 
acquainted  with  the  profits  of  infamy,  evidently 
alludes  to  Terence,  who  has  generally  employed 
a  courtezan,  as  one  of  his  agents  for  carrying  on 
the   plot. 

Yet  however  deficient  Terence  may  be  in  want  of 
moral  in  his  pieces,  (the  common  failing  of  the  ancient 
drama)  the  most  fastidious  critic  could  not  condemn 
him  to  the  full  extent  of  the  father's  exclamation. 

R.  M. 


121 

Salvian  was  afraid  to  say  any  thing  about 
it : — «  Who,"  says  he,  "  can  treat  of  those 
shameful  representations,  those  dishonest 
speeches,  and  of  those  lascivious  and  im- 
modest actions,  the  enormity  and  offence 
of  which  are  discoverable  by  that  restraint 
which  they  in  their  own  nature  impose  up- 
on us  not  to  rehearse  them  ?" 

Lactantius  is  not  so  reserved  ;his  most 
favourable  thoughts  about  it  are  these  : — 
"  To  what  end  do  those  impudent  actions 
of  the  players  tend,  but  to  debauch  the 
youth  of  the  age  ?  Their  effeminate  bo- 
dies in  women's  dresses,  represent  the  most 
lacivious  gestures  of  the  most  dissolute." 
And  a  little  lower  he  says,  "from  the  li- 
centiousness of  speech,  they  proceed  to 
that  of  action,  &c.    &c.*"    Pray   be  you 


*  Vide  introductory  letter,  page  63.     Also,  origin  of 
the  stage,  ibid,  page  36. 


12* 

judge  whether  all  this  can  be  acceptable  to 
modesty? 

St.  Cyprian,  who,  ex  proffesso,  composed 
a  book  of  public  shows,  describes  at  large 
all  the  infamous  practices  there.  We  may 
also  read  something  of  that  abominable 
custom  of  their  appearing  naked  on  the  thea- 
tres in  St.  Chrysostom,  St.  Jerom,  and  St. 
Augustin.  The  first  of  these  does  not  scruple 
comparing  those  of  his  time  who  went  to  plays 
to  David,  who  took  pleasure  in  seeing  Bath- 
sheba  naked  in  her  bath,  and  saying  that  the 
theatre  is  a  rendezvous  of  all  manner  of 
debaucheries,  that  'tis  full  of  impudence, 
abomination  and  impiety.  A  more  mo- 
dern writer  (Alexander  ab  Alexander  J  des- 
cribing the  shows  of  the  ancients,  and  es- 
pecially their  Bacchanalia,  gives  us  such 
horrible  pictures  of  their  public  infamies 
and  prostitutions,  that  I  should  tremble  to 
repeat  them.  You  may  imagine,  Sir,  there 
could  be  nothing  good  in  them,  since  the 


123 

infamous  Heliogabalus  was  the  author  of 
some  of  them.  But  lest  you  should  sup- 
pose that  plays  were  much  the  same  as  they 
are  now,  and  that  it  was  only  to  dissuade 
the  faithful  from  frequenting  the  sta^e,that 
the  fathers  represented  it  in  such  frightful 
colours  ;  let  us  consult  profane  authors. 
Valerious  Maxijnus,  speaking  of  the  detes- 
table custom  which  the  Romans  had  of  ex- 
posing upon  the  theatres  the  naked  bodies 
of  debauched  women,  and  the  naked  bo- 
dies of  young  boys,  relates  of  M.  P.  Cato, 
that  he  being  one  day  at  those  sights,  and 
understanding,  by  his  favorite  Favonius, 
that  out  of  respect  which  they  bore  to  him, 
the  people  were  ashamed  to  desire  the  play- 
ers should  appear  naked  on  the  theatre  ; 
this  great  man  withdrew,  that  he  might  not 
by  his  presence  hinder  that  which  was 
so  customary.*     Seneca  gives  us  the  same 

*  This  refers  entirely  to  all  sorts  of  Ludi  Scenici, 
the  Mimi,  Pantomimi  and  Achimimiy  but  reflects  no 


124 

account  of  Cato,  and  commends  him  for  his 
being  unwilling  to  see  these  debauched  wo- 
men naked.  I  dare  not  repeat  to  you  the 
words  of  Lampridius,  because  they  are  too 
gross,  when  he  says  that  the  Emperor,  He- 
liogabalus,  who  in  a  play  represented  Venus, 
shewed  himself  in  a  complete  state  of  nu- 
dity, with  the  most  impudent  intrepidity  of 
assurance.  We  also  find  that  the  public 
shows  of  the  ancients  were  as  dreadfully 
impious  as  they  were  immoral.  "  There," 
says  St.  Chrysostom,  "  they  blaspheme  the 
name  of  God,  and  no  sooner  have  the  play- 
ers vented  a  blasphemous  expression,  but 
a  loud  applause  follows.  This  is  what 
obliged  the  third  council  of  Carthage,  by  a 
canon,  to  condemn  players  as  blasphemers  : 
let  not  the  Laicks  themselves  be  present  at 


more  discredit  upon  the  Histriones,  than  the  hu- 
mours of  punch,  or  the  buffoonry  of  a  clown  to  a 
horse  ring-,  militate  against  the  refined  wit  of  polished 
comedy.  R.  M. 


125 

the  shows,  for  it  has  been  always  unlawful 
for  any  christain  to  go  into  the  company  of 
blasphemers."* 

Now  who  would  not  cry  down  the  stage, 
if  it  were  so  full  of  immorality  and  pro- 
faneness  ?  There  is  no  need  of  being  one 
of  the  fathers,  the  light  of  nature  is  suffi- 
cient to  condemn  so  great  an  excess.  Thus 
we  read  in  St.  Chrysostom,  "  That  certain 
Barbarians  having  heard  of  those  theatral 
plays,  expressed  themselves  in  those  terms 
worthy  of  the  greatest  philosophers. — "  It 
is  fit  that  the  Romans,  when  they  invented 

*  This  corroborates  what  I  have  stated  in  my  "Free 
Thoughts,"  that  the  early  instructors  in  Chris- 
tianity used  to frequent  the  theatre.  Why  should  Chry- 
sostom say,  let  not  the  Laicks  themselves,  &c.  if 
it  did  not  imply  that  in  his  time  the  clergy  had  de- 
viated from  their  Fathers,  and  abandoned  the  dra- 
matic amusement.  See  in  "  Free  Thoughts"  the 
account  of  St.  Paul  at  Ephesus. 

R.  M. 


126 

this  kind  of  pleasure,  should  be  looked  up- 
on as  persons  who  had  neither  wives  nor 
children."  And  Alcibiades,  among  other 
things,  is  commended  for  having  cast  acer- 
tain  comedian,  named  Eupolis,  into  the 
sea,  for  being  so  impudent  as  to  repeat  some 
infamous  verses  in  his  presence  ;*  adding 
at  ins  punishment  this  expression.  "  Thou 
hast  plunged  me  often  into  the  debauche- 
ries of  the  stage,  and  for  once  I  will  plunge 
thee  into  the  depths  of  the  sea." 

You  may  easily  perceive,  Sir,  that  all 
those  passages  out  of  the  fathers,  and  a 
thousand  others  which  I  could  produce  out 


*  Had  Alcibiades  existed  in  our  days,  and  possess- 
ing- all  his  admirable  propensities  ;  no  comedian  of 
repute  would  honour  him  with  a  reading".  It  is  pro- 
bable some  wretch  worthless  as  himself — only  what 
the  General  wanted  in  virtue,  be  made  up  by  power. 
— So  much  for  the  pupil  of  Socrates* 

R.  M. 


127 

of  them  against  the  stage  plays,  prove  no- 
thing against  the  drama  as  it  now  stands  in 
France.  It  would  be  superfluous  to  make 
a  comparison  between  the  one  and  the 
other :  I  desire  that  you  would  only  take 
notice  that  far  from  weakening  the  doctrine 
of  St.  Thomas,  all  that  has  been  hitherto 
alledged  serves  only  to  strengthen  it ;  for  it 
is  only  against  the  excess  of  the  stage  that 
the  fathers  appeared  so  zealous,  whereas  if 
they  had  found  it  divested  of  those  unhap- 
py circumstances  which  then  attended  it, 
they  would  have  been  of  St.  Thomas's  opin- 
ion, and  at  least  have  looked  upon  it  as 
indifferent. 

I  thought  proper  to  relate  all  this  to  you 
before  I  ventured  my  own  thoughts  upon 
the  subject ;  and  upon  those  indisputable 
principles  which  I  have  laid  down,  I  af- 
firm, that  in  my  judgment,  plays,  in  their 
own  nature  and  taken  in  themselves,  inde- 


128 

pendent  from  any  other  circumstance,  whe- 
ther good  or  bad,  ought  to  be  reckoned 
among  the  number  of  things  purely  indif- 
ferent. Upon  due  examination  you  wiil 
find  it  to  be  the  opinion  even  of  Tertullian 
and  St.  Cyprian,  the  two  who  seem  to  de- 
claim most  against  the  drama. 

To  begin  with  Tertullian,  at  the  same 
time  that  he  abominates  the  infamy  of  pub- 
lic shows  he  starts  this  objection  to  himself : 
— "  God  has  made  all  things,  and  given 
them  to  men,  and  consequently  they  are 
all  good, such  as  the  circus,  lions,  voices, 
&c.  What  then  makes  them  unlawful?" 
To  this  he  answers,  "  That  it  is  true  all 
things  were  instituted  by  God,  but  that 
they  were  corrupted  by  the  evil  spirit : 
that  iron  for  instance,  is  as  much  God\s 
creature  as  plants  and  angels :  that  not- 
withstanding this,  God  did  not  make  these 
creatures  to  be  instruments  of   murder, 


129 

poison,  and  magtc,  though  men  by  their 
wickedness  deprave  them  to  those  uses; 
and  that  what  renders  a  great  many  things 
evil,  which  in  their  own  nature  are  indiffer- 
ent, is  not  their  institution  but  corruption." 
— From  hence,  if  we  apply  this  way  of  ar- 
guing to  public  shows,  it  follows,  that  con- 
sidered in  their  own  nature,  they  are 
as  harmless  as  angels,  plants,  and  iron ; 
but  that  it  is  the  evil  spirit  that  has  chang- 
ed, perverted,  and  spoiled  them.  You  see 
then  that  Tertullian  has  reckoned  stage- 
plays  among  ind  ift erent  actions,  and  what  he 
condemns  in  them  is  only  the  excess. 

St.  Cyprian  speaking  of  David's  dancing 
before  the  Ark, owns  that  there  is  no  harm 
in  dancing  or  singing;  "  but  yet,"  says  he, 
"this  is  no  excuse  for  christians  who  are 
present  at  those  lascivious  dances  and  im- 
pure songs,  which  are  in  honour  of  idols." 
K 


130 

Whence  it  is  easy  for  us  to  infer,  that  this 
holy  doctor,  does  not  absolutely  condemn 
dancing,   singing,    operas    and   comedies, 
but  only  those  shows  that  represent  fables 
after  the  lascivious  manner  of  the  Greeks 
and  Romans,  and  which  were  celebrated  in 
honour  of  idols.     This  is  likewise  St.  Bo- 
naventure's  opinion,  who  says  expressly, 
"  That  shows  are  good  and  lawful,  if  they 
are  attended  with  necessary  precautions  and 
circumstances."     His  master,  the  great  Al- 
bertus,  taught  him  this  doctrine  :  and   the 
words  which  I  met  with  upon  this  subject 
in  St.  Antonius,  Archbishop   of  Florence, 
are  so  pertinent  that  I  cannot  forbear  insert- 
ing them  here.     "The  profession  of  a  co- 
median, because  it  is  useful  for  the  diver- 
sion of  men,  which  is  requisite,  is  not  for- 
bidden in  its  own  nature  :  from  whence  it 
follows,  that  it  is  no  less  lawful  to  get  one's 
livelihood  by  this  art,  &c."     And  in  another 
place  he  says,  "  Comedy   is  a  mixture  of 


131 

pleasant  speeches  and  actions,  for  the  di- 
version of  a  man's  self,  or  for  that  of  ano- 
ther. If  nothing  is  mixed  in  it  either  un- 
becoming or  an  affront  to  God,  or  prejudi- 
cial to  one's  neighbour,  it  is  an  effect  of  that 
virtue  which  is  called  Eutrape/ia  ;  for  the 
mind  which  is  fatigued  by  internal  cares, 
as  the  body  is  by  external  labour,  has  as 
much  need  of  repose  as  the  body  has  of 
nourishment.  This  repose  is  procured  by 
those  kind  of  diverting  speeches  and  actions 
which  are  called  plays."  Can  any  thing, 
Sir,  be  said  of  greater  weight  in  favour  of 
comedy  ?  Yet  he  who  says  it,  is  a  man  of 
undoubted  sanctity.  How  comes  it  to  pass 
that  he  does  not  declaim  against  it,  as  the 
ancients  did  ?  It  is  because  the  drama 
grows  more  correct  and  perfect  every  day ; 
and  I  have  observed,  in  reading  the  holy  fa- 
thers, that  the  nearer  they  come  to  our  times, 
the  more  favourable  they  are  to  plays,  be- 
cause the  stage  was  not  so  licentious  as  be- 


132 

fore*  Thus  likewise  we  see,  that  it  is  not 
prohibited  by  the  saint  of  our  times,  the 
great  Francis  de  Sales,  who  might,  without 
dispute,  serve  as  a  pattern  to  all  directors. 
— And  Fontana  de  Ferrara,  in  his  "  Insti- 
tutes," relates  that  the  pious  saint,  Charles 
BorromeuSy  allowed  plays  in  his  diocess  by 
an  order  in  the  year  15S3,  yet  upon  condi- 
tion that  before  they  were  acted  they  should 
be  revised  and  licenced  by  his  grand  Vicar, 
for  fear  any  thing  which  is  immodest  should 
be  in  them.  This  pious  and  learned  car- 
dinal did  then  allow  of  modest  comedies, 
and  condemned  only  the  immodest  and 
profane,  as  appears  by  the  third  council 
which  he  held  at  Milan,  in  the  year  1572. 


*  I  wish  our  modern  correctors  would  be  at  the 
trouble  of  consulting  all  the  fathers  / — but  I  presume 
they  stop  at  the  very  period  when  the  others  become 
liberal.  R.  M. 


133 

Independent  of  this  multitude  of  testi- 
monies, which  are  ill  my  favour,  I  might 
likewise  form  a  strong  proof  taken  from 
the  words  and  practice  of  the  holy  Fathers 
in  general,  and  observe  that  those  who  have 
cried  out  so  loudly  against  the  stage,  have 
been  as  violent  in  declaiming  against  play- 
ing at  cards,  dice,  &c.  They  have  inveigh- 
ed against  banquets  and  feasts,  against  lux- 
ury and  gaudy  dresses,  lofty  buildings, 
magnificent  houses,  rich  furniture,  rare 
paintings,  &,c.  &c*    St.  Chrysostom  has 


*  The  plausible  declamations  of  some  of  the  evan- 
gelical party,  against  the  expense  of  a  theatrical  esta- 
blishment, are  truly  ridiculous.  Some  will  exclaim 
against  the  money  appropriated  to  that  use,  affirming 
that  it  would  be  better  applied  if  granted  to  a  chari- 
table institution.  Others  dwell  upon  the  absurdity  of 
gratifying  imaginary  pleasures,  when  real  enjoyment 
could  be  so  well  purchased  by  furnishing  Bibles  and 
Missionaries  for  our  modern  crusades.  Yet  I  have 
known  several  of  those  liberal,  considerate  gentle- 


134 

whole  homilies  upon  this  subject :  we  find 
a  particular  catalogue  of  them  in  the  Peda- 
gogue of  St.  Clement  Alexandrinus.  St. 
Augustin  treats  very  largely  of  them  in 
most  of  his  works,  and  particularly  in  his 
letter  to  Possidonius.  St.  Cyprian  quoted 
both  by  St.  Augustin,  and  St.  Gregory, — in 
short  all  the  fathers  have  warmly  declaim- 
ed against  the  luxury  and  richness  of  ap- 
parel;   sometimes  exciting   us  to  follow 

men,  contentedly  enjoying  from  five  hundred  to  two 
thousand  a  year.  And  what  is  very  extraordinary, 
not  one  of  them  seemed  to  think  his  income  more  than 
sufficient  for  his  own  immediate  wants.  I  believe  it 
to  be  a  rare  instance,  their  refusing  another  living,  or 
an  estate,  upon  the  plea  that  the  one  they  possessed 
was  more  than  sufficient  to  satisfy  the  real  demands 
of  nature. 

Let  all  the  rich  shake  off  the  superflux  of  wealth, 
for  the  relief  of  the  mendicant,  and  who  would  not  be 
a  beggar  ?  R.  M. 


135 

the  example  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  who, 
for  the  austerity   of  his  life  was  so  highly 
commended  by  our  Saviour.     And  yet  we 
find  that  they  did  not  raise  so  many  doubts 
of  conscience  in  men's   minds    upon  this 
score,  as  they  did  upon  the  account  of  stage- 
players;   and  none  made   a  scruple   either 
of  wearing  habits  suitable  to  their  quality, 
nor  of  living  at  ease,  provided  they  did  it 
within  the  compass   of  modesty   and  mo- 
deration.    Why  then  should  we  not  extend 
this  indulgence  to  the  drama,  and  affirm, 
that  the  reproaches   of  the  doctors  of  the 
church  are  applicable  to  luxury,  intempe- 
rance and  prodigality,  but  not  to  the  inno- 
cent and  moderate  use  of  the  good  things 
of  this  life.     So  we    may   interpret  their 
words  of  immoral  and  profane  plays,  but 
not  of  those  that  do  not  transgress  the  rules 
of  prudence  and  morality. 

"  To  prove,"  says  Albertus  Magnus,  "  that 


136 

the  scripture  does  not  condemn  plays, 
dancing  and  shows,  considered  singly,  and 
without  those  offensive  circumstances  which 
make  them  condemnable,  do  not  we  read 
in  Exodus,  That  Miriam  the  prophetess,  the 
sister  of  Aaron  took  a  timbrel  in  her  hand, 
and  all  the  women  went  out  after  her  with 
timbrels  and  with  dancing  f  Ex.  15,  20. 
Does  not  the  Royal  Prophet  (Psal.  68,  -25 — 
27)  say  That  Benjamin  was  amonq  the  dam- 
sel    who  played  with    timbrels? ^ay, 

does  not  God  himself,  by  the  mouth  of  Je- 
remiah, Chap.  31,  v.  4,  promise  the  Jews, 
that  upon  their  return  from  Chaldee,  they 
should  play  upon  timbrels,  and  go  forth  in 
the  dances  of  them  that   make  merry  ?* 


*  To  these  instances  might  have  been  added,  the 
parable  of  "  The  Prodigal  Son."  And  they  began 
to  be  merry.  Now  his  elder  son  was  in  the  fields, 
and  as  he  came  and  drew  nigh  to  the  house*  he  heard 
music  and  dancing.     Luke  15.  v.  24 — 25. 


137 

Therefore  dances  and  pleasures  are  not  in 
themselves  sinful,  or  unlawful,  but  made 
so  by  the  criminal  circumstances  added  to 
them  :  and  I  would  not  enjoin  a  penitent 
to  abstain  from  them,  since  God  himself 
not  only  permits,  but  promises  them." 
And  indeed,  take  away  the  excess  which 
may  possibly  creep  into  dramatic  repre- 
sentations, and  I  know  no  harm  in  them  : 
for  it  is  a  kind  of  speaking  picture,  where- 
in are  represented  histories  or  fables,  for 
the  diversion,  and  very  often  for  the  in- 
struction of  men. 

Hitherto  we  find  nothing  amiss  in  the 
design  of  the  stage  ;  but  perhaps  its  ene- 
mies will  object,  that  it  must  needs  be  bad 
however,  because  it  is  prohibited.     I  pro- 


This  little  drama,  delivered  by  our  blessed  Saviour, 
evidently  proves  he  did  not  object  to  mirth  and  music. 

R.  M. 


138 

test,  Sir,  T  never  yet  thought  the  prohibi- 
tion of  any  thing  made  it  sinful,  but  on  the 
contrary,  the  viciousness  of  it  made  it  to 
be  prohibited.  But  let  us  consult  those 
places  of  scripture  which  seem  to  forbid 
plays,  and  such  like  exhibitions,  and  try  to 
explain  them,  not  as  we  please,  but  by  the 
words  of  the  greatest  Doctors. 

Albertus  Magnus,  who  has  collected  all 
those  passages,  shall  give  us  the  explana- 
tion of  them.  The  first  which  he  mentions 
is  that  of  St.  Paul,  who  seems  to  reduce  all 
those  sports  to  immodesty  ;  for  the  Apostle, 
exhorting  men  to  avoid  that  sin,  expresses 
himself  thus,  I.  Cor.  10.  as  some  of  them  fell 
into  impurity,  of  whom  it  is  written,  The 
people  sat  down  to  eat  and  drink  and  rose 
up  to  play* 

The  second  is  taken  out  of  Exodusj 


*  Vide  p.  116.  f  Vide  p.  105. 


139 

Chap.  32,  where  we  find  that  dances  were 
first  invented  before  idols  ;  and  by  this  they 
prove  that  it  is  an  idolatrous  institution,  to 
excite  men  to  impurity.  The  third  is  that 
of  Isaiah,  Chap.  3.  who  in  the  name  of 
God  denounces  great  threatenings  against 
those  kind  of  sports:  Because  the  daugh- 
ters of  Zion  are  haughty,  and  walk  forth  wUh 
stretched  forth  necks  and  wanton  eyes, walking 
and  tripping  as  they  go  and  making  a  tinkling 
with  their  feet ;  therefore  the  Lord  will  smite 
with  a  scab  the  crown  of  the  head  of  the 
daughters  of  Zion,  fyc.  And  lastly  it  is  pre- 
tended that  St.  Paul  includes  all  public 
sights  in  those  famous  words,  (I.  The^s.  5, 
22,)  Abstain  from  all  appearance  of  evil. 
But  Albertus  Magnus,  to  all  those  passa- 
ges, thus  replies.  "  That  dancing,  &c. 
though  not  in  their  own  nature  evil,  may 
become  so  by  being  attended  with  those 
unhappy  circumstances  which  St.  Paul  is 
to  be  understood  to  speak  of. — That  it  is 


140 

false  to  assert  that  the  Jews  never  danced 
but  before  idols.  It  has  been  done  upon 
other  occasions  ;  witness  Miriam  the  sister 
of  Moses  and  Aaron,  whom  we  formerly 
mentioned.  God  reproves  by  the  mouth  of 
his  prophet,  only  those  impudent  gestures 
with  which  the  dances  of  the  Jews  were 
sometimes  attended.  x\nd  lastly,  That  St. 
Paul  forbids  the  appearance  of  real  evil, 
and  not  of  that  which  may  become  so  by 
accident  and  untoward  circumstances." 

But  you  will  say,  if  plays  are  good  in 
themselves,  why  are  the  actors  of  them  no- 
ted with  infamy  in  Justinian  s  "  Insti- 
tutes?" Pray  let  me  ask  you  a  question 
or  two. — Does  that  soldier  sin  who  runs 
away  in  battle  for  fear  of  being  killed  ?  or 
does  a  young  widow,  who  cannot  live  sin- 
gle, commit  a  mortal  sin  by  marrying  a  sec* 
ond  husband  before  her  year  is  up  ?  Yet  the 
same  book  brands  both  of  them  with  infamy, 


141 

and  a  thousand  other  persons  whose  actions 
are  not  criminal.  It  is  therefore  a  very- 
weak  consequence  to  prove  the  sinfulness 
of  an  action  because  it  is  noted  as  infamous. 
Suppose  it  true  that  the  players  become 
infamous  by  acting  on  the  stage,  I  would 
fain  know  why  the  youth  of  the  universi- 
ties, and  other  persons,  very  prudent,  and 
sometimes  of  the  best  quality,  who,  for  their 
own  diversion,  and  without  scandal,  act 
parts  in  a  play,  are  not  as  infamous  as  the 
common  players  ?*     I  hope  none  will  say, 


*  We  must  bear  in  remembrance  that  Father  Caf- 
faro  lived  and  wrote  in  France,  where  the  profession 
of  an  actor  was  considered  so  offensive,  as  even  to  de* 
prive  him  of  the  rites  of  christian  burial.  Under  our 
happy  government  and  tollerant  ecclesiastical  esta- 
blishment, we  know  no  such  absurd,  degrading-,  invi- 
dious distinctions. — If  indeed  a  certain  sect  was  para- 
mount, the  players  would  then  be  persecuted  while 
living,  and  when  dead,  their  "monuments  would  be 
the  maws  of  Kites.1'  R.  M. 


142 

it  is  because  the  latter  act  to  get  by  it, 
whereas  the  others  do  it  for  diversion,  for 
this  is  a  very  wretched  argument. 

Suppose  any  action  to  be  evil  in  itself, 
what  signifies  whether  a  man  gets  by  it  or 
not  ?  It  will  still  be  evil,  and  no  circum- 
stance can  alter  its  nature. — For  as  a  per- 
jured man,  or  a  calumniator,  branded  with 
infamy  by  the  law,  will  be  always  infamous, 
let  them  be  in  what  circumstances  soever, 
so  plays  cannot  be  represented  upon  any 
occasion  or  motive  whatever,  without  in- 
curring the  stain  of  infamy  which  you  say 
is  cast  upon  it.  But  to  understand  the 
meaning  of  the  laws,  it  is  requisite  to  have  re- 
course to  those  Doctors  who  have  expound- 
ed them.  Pray  see  what  the  famous  Baldus 
says  on  this  subject,  "  The  players  who 
act  in  a  modest  way,  either  to  divert  them- 
selves or  please  others,  and  who  commit 
nothing  against  good  manners,   are   not  to 


143 

be  reputed  infamous."  You  perceive  then, 
according  to  this  commentator,  that  the  in- 
famy falls  only  on  those  who  act  infamous 
plays. 

Since  time  changes  every  thing,  rational 
men  will  judge  the  subject  as  it  is,  not  as  it 
was.  Were  not  the  physicians  turned  out 
of  Rome  as  infamous  persons  ?*  And  in 
the  esteem  they  are  now  held,  is  there  the 
least  mark  of  their  infamy  left;  Why  then 
should  any  reflection  remain  to  stigmatize 
a  laudable  and  ingenious  profession,  which 
in  Frauce  (and  perhaps  elsewhere)  is  be- 
come rather  the  school  of  virtue  than  that 
of  vice?  The  reason  why  players  former- 
ly were  declared  infamous,  was  from  the 
infamy  so  predominant  in  the  plays  which 
they  acted,  and  the  infamy  which  they 
themselves  added  to  it  by  their  dissolute 

*  Vide  "  Free  Thoughts." 


144 

lives.  And  now,  since  that  cause  is  re- 
moved, its  consequences  indubitably  should 
be  abolished.  If  any  consequences  are  to 
be  drawn  from  this  happy  change,  it  is,  that 
plays  being  altogether  unblameable,  those 
who  act  them,  provided  they  live  honestly, 
should  not  be  reckoned  among  the  number 
of  dishonourable  persons.  This  is  so  far 
true,  that  the  being  a  player  does  not  de- 
grade any  man's  quality.  Floridor,  who 
is  6aid  to  have  been  the  greatest  player 
France  ever  had,  being  a  gentleman  by  birth, 
was  not  judged  unworthy  of  that  title  upon 
account  of  his  profession.  When  inquiry 
was  made  about  the  false  noblesse,  he  was 
admitted  by  the  king  and  council  to  make 
out  the  truth  of  his,  which  by  right  of  inhe- 
ritance, descended  to  his  posterity.  Those 
of  the  Opera,  if  born  gentlemen,  are  not 
(by  the  institutes  granted  to  that  musical 
academy)  to  lose  their  quality.  Now,  are 
there  prerogatives  for  the  one  which  are  not 


145 

to  he  allowed  to  the  other?  And  if  there 
be  any  distinction  between  them,  have  not 
all  ages  determined  it  in  favour  of  comedy, 
since  by  the  consent  of  all  nations,  poetry 
is  the  elder  sister  of  music  ? 

You  say,  several  Doctors  (or  at  least  such 
as  pretend  to  be  so)  have  shewn  you  certain 
rituals  which  forbid  the  confessors  to  ad- 
minister the  sacrameuts  to  players,  which 
they  confirm  by  the  authority  of  several 
councils.  To  this  I  answer,  that  those  ri- 
tuals, and  the  canons  of  those  councils,  only 
mean  it  of  such  players  who  act  scandalous 
pieces,  or  who  act  themselves  immodestly. 
But  let  those  people  tell  you  what  difference 
they  make  between  stage-plays  and  other 
kind  of  sports  ;  for  as  to  the  rituals,  the 
canons,  the  councils,  &c.  they  make  none, 
but  equally  prohibit  them  all.  Yet  your 
Doctors,  who  talk  so  loudly  of  the  fathers 

and  the  councils,  do  not  scrupulously  fol- 
JL 


146 

low  their  decisions  against  gaming  and 
other  sports.  We  find  that  abbots,  priests, 
bishops  and  ecclesiastics  make  no  difficulty 
of  playing,  and  pretend  that  all  the  censures 
of  the  Fathers  ought  to  be  understood  of  the 
excess  in  sports,  and  not  of  those  which 
are  moderate,  and  used  without  much  ap- 
plication, to  pass  away  a  little  time.  Why 
then  should  not  the  same  thing  be  urged, 
and  the  same  indulgence  allowed  in  behalf 
of  plays,  since  we  find  such  a  dispensation 
with  respect  to  other  sports  ?  Besides  should 
you  ask  the  bishops  and  prelates  what  they 
think  of  plays,  they  would  declare,  that 
when  they  are  modest,  and  have  nothing  in 
them  which  wounds  morality  and  Christi- 
anity, they  do  not  pretend  to  censure  them. 
And  even  if  they  were  silent  in  the  case, 
one  may  guess  at  their  opinion  by  their  con- 
duct, since  in  those  very  diocesses  where 
those  severe  rituals  are  used,  plays  are  acted, 
tolerated,  and  perhaps  approved.     If  they 


147 

are  bad,  why  are  they  tolerated  ?     As  they 
are  acted  at  Paris,  I  see  no  fault  in  them* 
It  is  true,  I  cannot  pass  a  definitive  judg- 
ment upon  them,  since   I  never  go  to  see 
them  ;  but  there  are  three  very  easy  modes 
of  knowing  what  is  done  at  the  theatres; 
and  I  acknowledge  that  I  have  made  use  of 
all  three.     The  first  is,  to  inform  one's  self 
of  it  by  men  of  sense  and  probity,    who, 
out  of  that  horror  they  have  to  sin,    would 
not  allow  themselves  to  be  present  at  those 
exhibitions,  if  sinful.    The  next  is,  to  judge 
by  the  confessions  of  those  who  go  thither 
of  the  evil  effects  which  plays  produce  upon 
their  minds.     The  third  is,  the  reading  of 
the  plays  : — And  I  protest,  by  these  ways  I 
have  not  been  able  to  discover  the  least  ap- 
pearance of  the  excess  which   the  Fathers 
with  so  much  justice  condemned  in  plays* 
Numerous  persons  of  eminent  virtue,   and 
of  a  very  nice,  not  to  say  scrupulous  con- 
science, have  been   forced  to  own  to  me, 


148 

that  the  plays  on  the  French  theatre  are  at 
present  so  pure,  that  there  is  nothing  in 
them  which  can  offend  the  chastest  ear." 

Every  day  at  court,  the  bishops,  cardinals* 
and  nuncios  of  the  pope  make  no  scruple 
to  be  present  at  them  ;  and  it  wculd  be  no 
less  impudence  than  folly,  to  conclude  that 
all  those  great  prelates  are  profane  liber- 
tines, since  they  authorise  the  crime  by  their 
presence.  It  is  rather  a  proof  that  the  plays 
are  so  pure  and  regular,  that  none  need  be 
ashamed  or  afraid  to  see  them.  I  have 
likewise  sometimes  made  a  reflection  ( which 
to  me  seems  of  some  weight)  on  seeing  the 
bills  posted  up  at  the  corners  of  the  streets, 
announcing  plays  acted  by  the  King's  au- 
thority, and  by  his  Majesty's  servants.  I 
naturally  conceived,  if  they  invited  people 
to  some  bad  action,  or  to  infamous  places, 
&c.  the  magistrates  would  be  so  far  from 
allowing  the  publication  of  those  bills,  as  to 


149 

punish  severely  those  who  had  the  temerity 
to  abuse  the  King's  authority,  hy  inviting 
his  subjects  to  the  commission  of  such 
enormities.  From  which  I  draw  the  con- 
clusion, that  plays  are  not  vicious,  since  the 
magistrates  do  not  put  them  down,  nor  the 
prelates  make  any  opposition  to  them ;  and 
they  are  acted  by  the  privilege  of  a  reli- 
gious prince,  who  would  not  by  his  presence 
authorise  a  crime,  of  which  he  would  be 
more  guilty  than  others. 

As  to  confessions,*  I  could  never  by  their 


*  The  confessions  of  "  The  Methodists"  not  being 
auricular,  but  publicly  delivered  at  their  band-meet- 
ings and  love- feasts,  they  have  a  fairer  opportunity  of 
exposing  this  destructive  influence  attributed  to  the 
stage. — Yet  I  have  never  met,  in  the  whole  course  of 
my  methodistical  reading,  any  instance  of  the  ruin  of 
the  soul  being  laid  to  the  charge  of  the  theatre  only, 
but  merely  as  an  adjunct  in  the  vain  pomps  and  glo- 
ries of  the  world. 


150 

means  find  out  this  pretended  mischief  of 
plays;  for  if  it  were  the  source  of  so 
many  crimes,  it  would  from  thence  follow 
that  the  rich,  who  frequent  the  theatres,wou  Id 
be  the  greatest  sinners: — and  yet  we  find 
that  the  poor  who  never  saw  a  play,  are  as 
guilty  as  the  rich  of  anger,  revenge,  unclean- 
ness,  and  pride.  I  would  therefore  rather 
conclude,  and  that  with  some  reason  too, 
that  those  sins  are  the  effects  of  human  weak- 
ness or  malice,  which  take  an  occasion  of 
sinning  from  all  manner  of  objects  indif- 
ferently. 

As  to  the  reading  of  the  plays  which  are 

The  "  Methodist  Magazine"  will  furnish  us  with 
many  proofs  that  the  love  of  the  drama  is  one  of  the 
most  difficult  things  to  eradicate  from  the  minds  of  se- 
veral of  their  new  proselytes. — And  I  have  often  sigh- 
ed, when  I  hare  viewed  in  imagination,  the  last  expi- 
ring spark  of  genius,  ahsorbed  in  the  chilling  gloom 
of  contracted  ignorance.  R.  JJrL 


151 

now  acted  in  France,  I  never  could  find, 
in  those  I  have  perused,  an)  thing  which 
couid  in  the  most  distant  manner  offend 
chi  istianity  or  good-manners.  The  great- 
est fault  that  could  be  found  with  them  is, 
that  most  of  the  subjects  are  taken  out  of 
fables;  and  yet  what  harm  is  there  in  that? 
"  They  are  such  fables  out  of  which  may  be 
taken  very  tine  instructions  of  morality, 
capable  of  inspiring  men  with  a  love  of 
vi  rtue,  and  a  detestation  of  vice."  These  are 
the  words  of  a  very  great  man  ( Peter, 
Bishop  of  Blois)  who  maintains,  "  that  it  is 
lawful  to  extract  truths  out  of  heathea 
fabies,  and  that  it  is  no  more  than  receiving 
arms  from  our  very  enemies." 

To  leave  nothing  unresolved,  let  us  ex- 
amine the  precautions  which  the  doctors 
give  us,  in  goinp  to  a  play.  As  to  the  law- 
fulness of  the  Drama,  St.  Thomas,  St 
Bona  venture,  St.  Antonine,  and  above  all 


152 

Albertus  Magnus  has  said,  that  in  all  sports 
we  should  take  care  of  three  things.  The 
first  is,  that  we  should  not  seek  for  pleasure 
in  immodest  words  or  actions,  as  they  did 
in  the  times  of  the  ancients,  an  unhappy 
custom  which  Cicero  laments  in  these 
words:  "There  is  a  kind  of  jesting  which 
is  sordid,  insolent,  wicked  and  obscene." 
•The  second  thing  we  are  to  take  care  of, 
says  Albertus,  is,  that  when  we  would  re- 
fresh our  spirits,  we  should  not  entirely  lose 
the  gravity  of  the  soul,  which  gives  St.  Am- 
brose occasion  to  say,  "  Let  us  beware,  lest 
in  giving  our  spirits  some  relaxation,  we 
lose  the  harmony  of  our  souls,  where  the 
virtues  form  an  agreeable  concert."  And 
the  third  condition  required  in  our  sports, 
as  well  as  in  all  the  other  actions  of  our 
lives,  is,  that  they  be  suitable  to  the  person, 
time,  and  place,  and  regulated  by  all  the 
other  circumstances  which  may  render 
them  inoffensive.  It  would  be  easy  for  me 


153 

to  prove  that  none  of  these  qualifications 
are  wanting  to  the  plays,  as  they  are  in 
France ;  from  whence  you  ought  to  con-» 
elude,  that  they  are  good  and  allowable. 

After  all  I  have  said  for  plays,  you  can- 
not question  but  they  should  be  such  as 
are  free  from  all  immodest  speeches  and 
actions.  You  have  told  me  yourself,  that* 
the  players  are  very  careful  in  this  point, 
and  that  they  would  not  so  much  as  suffer, 
when  they  accept  of  any  piece,  that  it 
should  have  any  thing  in  it  indecent,  licen- 
tious, equivocal,  or  the  least  word  under 
which  any  poison  might  be  concealed. 

We  have  very  severe  laws  in  France  a- 
gainst  blasphemers ;  they  are  bored  through 
the  tongue ;  they  are  condemned  even  to  be 
burned ; — and  should  we  caress  the  players, 
or  give  them  any  privilege,  if  they  were 
blasphemers,  libertines,  or  profligates? 


154 

"  We  own,"  say  our  Reformers,  "  that 
they  dare  not  openiy  speak  any  thing 
that  is  profane,  nor  act  upon  the  stage 
those  infamies  which  were  formerly  acted 
there;  but  there  is  still  something  remain- 
ing of  its  primitive  corruption,  disguised 
under  gay  names.  Is  there  any  play  acted 
now,  where  there  is  not  some  love-intrigue 
or  other?  Where  the  passions  are  not  re- 
presented in  all  their  light?  Where  men- 
tion is  not  made  of  ambition,  jealousy, 
revenge  and  hatred  ? — A  dangerous  school 
for  youth,  where  they  are  easily  disposed 
to  raise  real  passions  in  their  hearts,  by  see- 
ing feigned  ones  represented! The  first 

duty  of  a  christian  is  to  suppress  his  pas- 
sions, and  not  to  expose  himself  to  the 
growth  of  them :  and  by  a  necessary  con- 
sequence, nothing  is  more  pernicious  than 
that  which  is  capable  of  exciting  them." 

A  fine  speech  this  for  a  rigid  declaimer, 


155 

but  not  sound  enough  for  an  equitable  di- 
vine! Is  there  no  difference,  think  vou, 
between  an  action  or  a  word  which  may 
by  accident  raise  the  passions,  and  those 
which  do  it  in  reality  ? 

The  last  are  absolutely  unlawful  and  sin- 
ful, and  though  it  might  happen  that  a  man 
might  be  unmoved  by  them  ;  yet  we  are 
obliged  to  avoid  them,  because  it  is  only 
by  chance  that  they  produce  not  their  ef- 
fect, whereas  in  their  own  nature  they  are 
always  attended  with  pernicious  conse- 
quences. But  for  those  words  and  actions 
which  may  by  accident  raise  the  passions, 
we  cannot  justly  condemn  them,  and  we 
must  even  fly  to  deserts  to  avoid  them,  for 
we  cannot  walk  a  step,  read  a  book,  enter 
a  church,  or  live  in  the  world,  without 
meeting  with  a  thousand  things  capable  of 
exciting  the  passions.  Must  a  woman  be- 
cause she  is  handsome  never  go  to  church, 


150 

for  fear  of  exciting  the  desires  of  the  debau- 
chee? Must  the  great  in  courts,  and  the 
magistrates  lay  aside  that  splendour  which 
is  becoming,  and  perhaps  necessary  to 
them,  for  fear  of  exciting  ambition  and  a 
desire  of  riches  in  others?  Must  a  man 
never  wear  a  sword  for  fear  of  being  guilty 
of  murder?  This  would  be  ridiculous! 
Under  those  circumstances,  if  by  misfor- 
tune a  scandal  happens,  and  an  occasion  of 
sin  be  taken,  it  is  a  passive,  not  an  active 
scandal, — pardon  those  school  terms. — It 
is  an  occasion  taken,  not  given,  which  kind 
alone  we  are  ordered  to  avoid,  for  as  to  the 
first  it  is  impossible  to  avoid  it,  and  some- 
times to  foresee  it. 

All  histories  (not  excepting  the 
bible)  make  use  of  such  words  as  express 
the  passions,  and  relate  great  actions,  of 
which  they  have  been  the  cause.  And 
will  it  be  a  crime  to  read  history,  because 


157 

we  may  there  meet  with  something  which 
may  be  an  occasion  of  our  falling? — By  no 
means,  unless  it  be  a  scandalous,  profane, 
and  loose  history,  such  a  one  as  will  infal- 
libly stir  up  dangerous  passions,  and  then 
it  is  no  longer  an  occasiou  taken  but  given. 
But  this  is  not  the  character  of  our  plays, 
for  though  they  speak  of  love,  hatred,  am- 
bition and  revenge,  it  is  not  done  with  an 
intention  of  exciting  those  passions  in  the 
audience,*   nor  are  there  any  such  scanda- 

*  Here  is  another  proof  that  the  stage  adversaries 
have  never  shifted  their  ground ;  they  still  proceed  in 
the  same  monotonous  mode  of  attack  ;  they  will  now 
imperiously  demand — "  is  there  a  leading*  hero  in  a 
play  which  any  u  christian  should  consider  as  a  model 
to  be  observed,  or  an  example  to  be  followed  ?"  Ridi- 
culous! Othello,  Hamlet,  Macbeth,  Rictiard,  Lear, 
and  Romeo  are  not  intended  by  the  poet  as  examples 
to  follow ,  but  beacons  to  warn  against  jealousy, 
melancholy,  revenge,  ambition,  cruelty,  cunning, 
paternal  injustice,  and  filial  disobedience. — The 
heroes  are  all  punished  for  their  various  derelictions 


158 

lous  circumstances  in  them,  as  will  infalli- 
bly produce  such  mischievous  effects  in 
their  minds.  Besides  as  the  wise  Lycurgus 
said,  "  Shall  we  destroy  all  the  vines,  be- 
cause some  men  get  drunk  with  the  juice  of 
the  grape  ?"  An  ill  use  has  and  may  be 
made  of  the  most  sacred  things,  such  as  the 
holy  scriptures,  and  consequently  of  the 
most  indifferent  and  least  serious:  yet 
neither  the  one  nor  the  other  ought  to  be 

from  virtue— but  not  one  becomes  an  object  for  imi- 
tation. We  may  even  sympathise  with  Othello,  weep 
with  Hamlet,  admire  the  martial  firmness  of  Macbeth, 
the  courage  and  address  of  Richard;  lament  the 
madness  of  Lear,  and  regret  the  fate  of  Romeo,  with- 
out a  wish  to  imitate  any  one  of  the  characters.  "We 
find  the  dramatist  expressly  telling  us  the  fatal  conse- 
quences attendant  upon  jealousy,  ambition,  cruelty, 
revenge,  injustice,  and  even  love  itself,  if  carried  be- 
yond the  bounds  of  duty.  To  prevent  any  possibility 
of  mistaking  his  moral,  he  punishes  them  all  with 
death.  Now  none  but  a  madman  would  imitate  a 
character  under  such  a  severe  penalty.  R.  M. 


159 

forbidden,  unless  we  would  forbid  every 
thing  that  may  be  put  to  an  ill  use. 

As  to  the  second  qualification  which  our 
casuists  require  in  sports,  which  is  to  avoid 
breaking  the  harmony  of  the  soul  by  the 
excess  and  length  of  our  pleasures;  it  may 
be  said  that  neither  those  who  compose 
them,  nor  those  who  act  them,  so  far  un- 
bend their  minds  as  to  destroy  that  just  dis- 
position of  soul.  As  for  the  first,  they 
have  liberty  to  go  or  stay  away;  and  after 
a  davs  labour,  two  hours  of  refreshment 
mav  be  allowed.  As  for  the  authors 
and  plavers,  whose  profession  seems  to  be 
one  continued  diversion,  they  do  not  cer- 
tainly look  upon  their  lives  to  be  a  play, 
since  they  have  other  serious  business,  in 
providing  for  and  supporting  their  families, 
besides  the  common  duties  of  christians 
to  perform. 


160 

As  for  the  circumstance  of  time,  of 
which  our  casuists  would  have  us  take  care, 
it  is  observed  in  France,  where  the)  never 
act  but  at  proper  hours.  One  of  the  things 
against  which  the  Fathers  declaimed  the 
most,  was  the  time  of  acting  the  plays; 
they  lasted  the  whole  day,  and  people  had 
scarce  any  time  to  go  to  church.  Thus  St. 
Chrvsostom  complains:  "That  the  chris- 
tians in  his  time,  and  in  his  diocess,did  not 
only  go  to  plays,  but  were  so  intent  upon 
them  that  they  staid  whole  days  at  those 
infamous  sights,  without  going  one  moment 
to  church."  St.  John,  of  Damascus,  con- 
demned the  same  excess  in  these  words, 
"  There  are  several  towns  where  the  inhabi- 
tants are  from  morning  to  night  feasting 
their  eyes  with  all  manner  of  sights,  and  in 
hearing  always  immodest  son^s,  which  can- 
noi  chuse  but  raise  in  their  minds  wicked 
desires. 


161 

-  Is  there  any  thing  like  this  to  he  found  in 
our  plays  ?  They  begin  at  five  or  six  o'clock 
when  divine  service  is  over,  the  prayers  and 
sermon  ended;  when  the  church  doors  are 
shut,  and  people  have  had  time  enough  to 
bestow  on  business  and  devotion, — and  they 
end  about  eight  or  nine.  As  for  the  cir- 
cumstance of  places,  it  is  observed  in 
France; — formerly  they  acted  in  churches, 
but  now  they  have  public  theatres  for  the 
purpose. 

The  circumstance  of  the  persons  is  also 
observed,  for  those  who  act  are  civil  people, 
who  have  undertaken  the  employ,  and  gen- 
erally behave  themselves  in  it  with  decen- 
cy ;  at  least  there  are  as  few  ill  men  among 
them  as  in  other  professions:  their  vices 
arise  from  their  own  corrupt  nature,  and  not 
from  the  state  or  calling  they  are  in,  since 
all  men  are  like  them.     I  have  conversed, 

and  am  particularly  acquainted  with  some  of 

M 


162 

them,  7vho,  out  of  the  theatre,  and  in  their  own 
families,  live  the  most  exemplary  life  in  the 
world*  You  have  told  me  yourself,  that 
all  of  them  in  general,  out  of  their  common 
stock,  contribute  a  considerable  sum  to 
pious  and  charitable  uses,  of  which  the  ma- 
gistrates and  superiors  of  the  convents  could 
give  sufficient  testimony.  I  question  wheth- 


*  How  Doctors  differ !  a  Doctor  Witherspoon  in  a 
etter  upon  Play-Actors,  says — "For  my  own  part,  I 
would  no  more  hold  communion  with  a  master  of  the 
Circus  than  a  manager  of  the  Theatre.  And  I  should 
be  sorry  to  be  thought  to  have  any  intimacy  with 
either  the  one  or  the  other." — But  the  sagacious  Doc- 
tor has  contrived  to  bring  in  Lord  Chesterfield,  as  a 
party  joining  in  the  condemnation  of  Opera  performers 
and  musicians  ! — How  ? — or  why  ? — Because  he  tells 
his  son  "  that  to  be  always  fiddling  and  playing,  is  not 
consistent  with  the  character  of  a  gentleman. 

O  Whitherspoon  !  Whitherspoon  !  sapient  Wither- 
spoon !  living  or  dead,  Hail  to  thee,  Witherspoon !  ! 


163 

er  we  can  say  as  much  of  those  zealous 
persons  who  inveigh  so  loudly  against  them. 

I  am  conscious,  Sir,  that  some  people 
will  blame  me  for  having  followed  the  most 
favourable  opinion  concerning  plays,  for  it 
is  now  the  fashion  to  teach  an  austere  doc- 
trine, and  not  to  practice  it ;  but  I  assure  you 
I  have  been  solely  governed  by  truth,  wish- 
ing still  to  observe  that  Father's  rule  who 
directs  us  to  form  our  actions  by  the  most 
severe  opinions,  and  our  doctrine  by  the  most 
indulgent. 

I  am 
Sir, 

Yours,  &c. 


FREE  THOUGHTS 

UPON 

METHODISTS,  ACTORS,  AND  THE  INFLU- 
ENCE OF  THE  STAGE. 

.ADVERTISEMENT. 

I  must  openly  and  candidly  inform  my  readers,  that 
they  will  occasionally  find  in  the  subsequent  pages  ex- 
pressions which  policy  cannot  warrant,  nor  prudence 
Justify.  But  u  I  am  whipped  and  scourged  with  rods, 
nettled  and  stung  with  pismires,  when  I  think  of  the 
many  provocations  we  have  received  from  some  cer- 
tain tolerated  intolerants." 

Several  of  my  friends,  who  honoured  my  manuscript 
with  a  perusal,  suggested  to  me  the  impropriety  of 
approaching,  if  not  entering,  the  province  of  abuse, 
at  the  very  moment  I  am  condemning  my  opponents 
for  their  frequent  excursions  to  the  same  disgraceful 
resource*.     I  daringly  mention  this  to  show,  that  if  I 

*  Vide  Introductory  Letter,  page  31. 


165 

am  erring",  it  is  wilfully,  and  I  shall  probably  add  to 
the  offence,  by  not  only  avowing  my  knowledge  of  it, 
but  by  openly  justifying  the  measure.  The  arrears  of 
two  centuries*,  form  a  long  unsettled  account,  which 
I  much  regret  some  of  my  predecessors  did  not  ba- 
lance at  former  periods,  and  thus  have  added  another 
instance  in  favour  of  the  good  old  adage,  "  that  short 
reckoning  makes  long  friends."  However,  since  the 
office  of  accountant-general,  has  fallen  to  my  lot,  it  is 
my  wish  to  re-pay  our  accusers  and  abusers,  part- 
ly in  their  own  coin.  I  confess  myself  incompetent  to 
the  task  of  making  up  the  whole  sum,  but  whatever 
deficiency  there  may  be  found  on  this  score,  I  trust  will 
be  more  than  compensated  for,  by  an  overplus  of  rea- 
son, candor,  and  justice. 

1  have  been  conscientious  in  striking  the  balance, 
and,  I  believe  every  item  advanced  in  my  statement  to 
be  strictly  correct. 

In  this  wordy  war,  let  it  be  clearly  understood,  that 
1  do  not  consider  myself  as  the  aggressor,  on  the  con- 
trary, my  profession  is  daily — hourly  annoyed  by  an 
enemy  armed  like  wild  Indians,  with  poisoned  darts, 

*  Vide  Introductory  Letter,  page  31. 


166 

tomahawks,  and  ktmes!* — What  weapon  can  I  wield 
against  such  adversaries?  The  sharpened  instruments 
of  wit,  satire,  and  ridicule,  have  been  frequently  ex- 
ercised in  vain  against  the  desultory  attacks  of  these 
demi  maniacs*  The  weapons  must  have  been  ill  di- 
rected, they  must  have  been  pointed  at  their  heads  or 
their  hearts,  the  former  of  which  is  impenetrable,  and 
the  latter  invulnerable.  However,  could  1  even  guide 
them  with  more  effect,  such  polished  arms  I  cannot 
boast ;  a  good  homely  cudgel  is  the  most  respectable 
epithet  lean  venture  to  bestow  upon  4%Free  Thoughts," 
but  I  trust  it  will  be  found  of  sufficient  powers  to  turn 
the  edge  of  their  "kimes,"  ere  they  can  totally  destroy 
its  action. 

*  Vide  Edinburgh  Review,  April,  1809,  page  46. 


FREE  THOUGHTS,  &c. 


IT  is  a  matter  of  astonishment  in  this  age 
of  novelty-hunting,  when  we  have  been  in- 
formed that  virtues  are  vices,  and  have 
pursued  vices  as  if  they  were  virtues  :— 
when  emancipation,  reform,  freedom  and 
equality  are  the  watch-words  of  the  day.— 
It  is  somewhat  extraordinary  no  one  has 
started  for  the  honour  of  elevating  1  he 
stage  to  its  proper  level, and  disencumber- 
ing the  professors  from  the  fetters  forged  for 
them  in  the  dark  days  of  ignorance  and  su- 
perstition. 

The  Pagan  African  found  advocates  a- 
mongst  all  ranks,  all  persuasions;  even  in 
the  most  rigid  of  our  sectaries,  who  mau- 


168 

gre  selfishness,  apathy,  contempt  of  fine 
feelings,  and  detestation  of  poetical  embel- 
lishments, extended  their  sympathy  ovei! 
the  bosom  of  the  Atlantic,  exaggerated  the 
sufferings  of  their  client,  by  fancifully  de- 
corating the  unenlightened  savage  with  re- 
fined sensations,  delicacy  of  feeling,  and 
mental  aggravations,  such  as  the  highest 
polish  of  society  alone  can  give.  Yet 
those  very  people  would  ridicule  the  idea 
of  a  sensitive  mind,  in  their  own  country, 
lacerated  and  writhing  under  the  scourge  of 
pride,  exercised  by  the  hand  of  prejudice. 

If  they  were  to  draw  a  comparison  be- 
tween the  sable  slave  and  the  itinerant 
player, it  would  be  considerably  to  the  dis- 
advantage of  the  latter ;  for  they  would 
coolly  calculate  upon  manual  labour  on 
the  one  side,  and  (what  they  would  deem) 
trifling  pursuits  on  the  other. 


169 

When  I  say  no  one  has  endeavoured  to 
raise  the  stage  to  its  just  elevation,  I  do 
not  mean  to  assert  that  it  is  without  its  sup- 
porters, or  champions.  No— I  have  no 
doubt  that  their  numbers  would  equal  that 
of  its  assailants: — but  L  must  add,  they  too 
servilely  follow  the  steps  of  each  other. 
Echo  follows  echo,  in  dull  monotonous 
line. — Opinions  of  councils  and  senates ; 
fathers  of  the  church  and  heathen  philoso- 
phers, are  all  set  forth  in  battle  array,  one 
against  the  other,  authority  against  authori- 
ty, and  the  suffrages  of  the  dead  are  called 
for,  to  decide  a  question  essential  only  to  the 
living.  The  stage  accusers  bray  forth  the 
evil  tendency  of  "  The  Beggars  Opera,"  the 
idle  story  of  Doctor  Faustus,  and  a  hundred 
other  groundless  absurdities.  The  stage 
defender  hurls  back  the  powerful  conver- 
sion worked  by  the  tragedy  of  George 
Barnwell;  the  discovery  of  a  murder  by 


170 

the  acting  of  apiece  called  "Friar  Fran- 
cis/' and  many  other  puerilities. 

The  only  difference  I  have  been  able  to 
perceive  between  the  two  parties,  is  this 

-That  bigotry  generally  sides  with  the 

enemies  to  the  stage  ;  consequently  there 
is  there  a  greater  degree  of  ignorance,  a 
larger  portion  of  absurdity,  and  joined 
with  an  ardent,  rancorous  zeal  to  effect 
the  object.  Its  supporters,  being  mostly 
men  of  a  liberal  turn  of  mind,  enter  upon 
the  subject  calmly,  armed  with  no  otoer 
weapons  than  antiquated  authorities,  and 
not  wielding  them  with  a  proportioned  en- 
thusiasm to  the  malignants,  their  defence 
seems  at  best  but  lukewarm.  Neither  par- 
ty is  disposed  to  quit  the  old,  worn-out 
system  of  warfare,  and  by  more  ex- 
tensive excursions,  arrive  at  victory  or 
defeat! — Few  seem  to  have  thought  for 
themselves  upon  the  subject,  but  all  appear 


171 

cramped,  and  enveloped  in  the  opinions  of 
others.  Let  none  imagine  that  I  have  the 
presumption  to  think  myself  equal  to  the 
task  of  emancipating  my  brethren  from  the 
ill  effects  of  a  prejudice  of  which  we  have 
all  so  much  cause  to  complain  ;  or,  that  I 
have  the  temerity  to  start  for  the  honour  of 
being  their  champion — NT o— -but  fifteen 
years  of  experience  and  bitter  reflection  on 
the  thoughtless  cruelty  of  society,  have 
compelled  me  to  obtrude  myself  upon  the 
public,  with  the  hopes  of  stimulating 
genius  and  philanthropy  to  second  my  en- 
deavours, by  supporting,  fostering,  vindi- 
cating aud  encouraging  a  liberal,  though 
injured  profession. 

The  profession  which  produced  and 
nourished  the  genius  of  a  Shakspeare! — 
Shall  it  be  attacked  by  ignorance,  illiherali- 
ty,  and  calumny,  and  be  in  want  of  shields, 
to  ward  off  the    poisonous,    misdirected 


172 

shafts  of  such   contemptible  adversaries? 
The  profession  which  has  been  adorned  by 
the  aid   of  the  immortal  Shakspeare,  the 
divine  Milton,  the  christian  Addison,  the 
pious    Young,  and  the  moral  Johnson !— 
Shall  it  be  overpowered  by  retired  monks, 
enthusiastic  visionaries,  unlettered  bigots, 
and  brainless  sectaries? — Oh  no! — Depress 
it  they  may! — Destroy  it! — Impotent  at- 
tempt!— The  viper  and  the  file,  snow  balls 
against  adamant,  phosphoric  lights  to  ex- 
tinguish the  meridian  sun  beam,  can  alone 
typify  the  absurdity! — I  have  no  apprehen- 
sion  about   its  extinction,   I  would  only 
deprecate  the   unmerited  censure  heaped 
upon  those,  who  embrace  its  pursuits.     To 
expose  the   fallacy  of  that  censure,  I  lay 
myself  open  to  the  sneer  of  unfeeling  igno- 
rance, the  contemptuous  smile   of  cold- 
hearted  apathy,  the  base  attacks  of  malev- 
oleuce  in    its  worst  shape.      All   this,  I 
shrink  not  from;   but,  when   I  take  into 


173 

the  account,  the  ordeal  of  criticism. — T  own 
myself  a  coward — I  suspect  my  powers — 
and  am  more  than  half  inclined  to  resign 
the  daring  bold  attempt.  However,  as  I  have 
not  taken  up  my  pen  with  the  ridiculous 
vanity  of  anticipatingeither  fame  or  profit,* 
ias  I  am  prompted  hy  a  heart- felt  conviction 
of  being  an  injured  party;  and  as  I  am  well 
satisfied  with  the  rectitude  of  my  intentions, 
shall  I  desist  because  my   style   may  want 


*  The  late  learned  soi-desant  prophet  Huntingdon 
says — "God  enabled  me  to  put  out  several  little  books, 
which  were  almost  universally  exclaimed  against 
both  by  preachers  and  professors,  and  by  these  means 
God  sent  them  into  all  winds,  so  that  I  soon  rubbed  off 
one  hundred,  and  soon  after  another,  so  that  in  a  short 
time  I  had  reduced  my  thousand  pounds  (debt)  down 
to  seven  hundred."—  Alas  !  I  know  my  little  book  will 
be  exclaimed  against  by  preachers  and  professors  ! 
Would  I  could  flatter  either  my  creditors  or  myself 
with  the  idea,  that  it  would  be  sent  into  all  winds, 
or  any  wind,  or  raise  the  wind  at  all. 


174 

grace,  my  language  polish,  or  my  composi- 
tion elegance  ?  Truth,  integrity,  and 
honour  shall  be  their  substitutes.  With 
these,  for  my  support,  and  the  patient  in- 
dulgence of  the  liberal  for  my  protection, 
I  shall  venture  to  proceed,  having  first  pre- 
mised, that  it  is  for  a  well  regulated  stage,  I 
would  wish  to  be  considered  the  pleader. 

In  reply  to  those,  who  so  triumphantly 
produce,  and  sound  forth  the  wisdom  of 
some  ancient  authors,  who  have  written 
against  the  use  of  the  stage;  their  mode  of 
attack  appears  at  once  so  puerile,  disin- 
genuous, and  unjust,  that  they  are  scarcely 
deserving  of  notice;  they  prove  nothing 
but  a  lamentable  dearth  of  genius  in  them- 
selves, by  continually  doleing  out  meagre 
opinions  of  centuries,  long  since  past.  I 
am  not  satisfied  with  accusing  them  of  dull- 
ness only ;  they  are  to  be  charged  with  a 
want  of  literary  integrity,  for  they  frequent- 


175 

ly   give  their  extracts  from  the  page   of 
antiquity,  mutilated,  vamped,  or  tortured 
to  answer  their  own  particular  purpose.     I 
couceive  all  those  authorities  inadmissible 
at  the  present  period.     The  opinions   quo- 
ted were  delivered  according  to  the  then 
existing  circumstances,  such  as  the  state  of 
the  stage,  the  complexion  of  the  times,  the 
peculiar  manner  of  thinking  in  the  writers, 
and  intended  as  a  corrective   to  the  then 
existing  improprieties,  or  more  properly 
speaking,  enormities  of  the  thing  condemn- 
ed.    But  I  never  understood  the  frail  opin- 
ion of  man,  upon  a  speculative  point,  was 
to  be  considered   as   definitive,  universal, 
and  eternal.     The  Greeks  and  Romans  had 
many  odious  abominahle  customs;   such 
as,  I  presume  none  would  have  the  temerity 
to  defend.  Their  gladiators  and  wild  beasts, 
their  inculcation  and  support  of  suicide, 
their  insatiate  love  of  conquest,  tyranny, 
and  dominion !  Nay,  even  vices,  which  mo- 


176 

desty  and  decency  will  scarcely  permit  me 
to  hint  at  Yet  all  those  things  were  open- 
ly practised  and  supported.  But  why  re- 
tain with  such  tenacity  one  only  of  their 
prejudices,  and  reject  all  the  rest?*  Admit 


*  By  the  way,  this  will  apply  in  one  instance  to 
«  the  Fathers"  who  have  expressed  as  strong  an  aver- 
sion to  singing-  and  dancing  as  they  have  to  the  use  of 
the  drama.  Yet  I  know  several  of  the  serious  who 
will  go  to  an  assembly,  and  even  to  the  Opera  House 
and  have  their  children  instructed  in  dancing  and 
music,  and  yet  remain  determinedly  hostile  to  the 
existence  of  a  theatre.  But,  indeed,  Methodism,  in 
every  shape,  is  so  contradictory,  that  there  is  no  mode 
of  denning  it.  We  have  even  music  masters  and 
dancing  masters  Methodists  !  Organists  of  churches 
Methodists  !  How  they  can  reconcile  these  seeming 
opposites  is  a  secret  beyond  my  comprehension. 

But  that  these  pie  bald  sectaries  may  not  imagine 
the  stage  the  only  thing  that  has  come  within  the 
scope  of  ecclesiastical  resentment,  I  will  furnish  them 
with  an  extract  from  "An  essay  on  the  history  of 


177 

they  had  no  objection  to  the  existence  of  the 
drama,which,  however  is  very  far  from  being 

dancing,"  published  in  the  year  1712.  The  author 
gives  it  as  a  quotation  from  the  history  of  "  The  Wal- 
densis  and  Albigenses,  part  3. — book  2. — c.  ix.  p.  63. 
11  A  dance  is  the  devil's  procession  and  he  that  en- 
tereth  into  a  dance,  entereth  into  his  possession. 
The  devil  is  the  guide,  the  middle  and  end  of  the  dance. 
As  many  paces  as  a  man  maketh  in  dancing,  so  many 
paces  doth  he  make  to  Hell.  A  man  sinneth  in  dan- 
cing divers  ways ;  as  in  his  pace,  his  touch,  &c.  &c." 
"  For  the  devil  hath  not  only  one  sword  in  the  dance, 
but  as  many  as  there  are  beautiful  and  well-adorned 
persons  in  the  dance.  For  the  words  of  a  woman  are 
a  glittering  sword.  And  therefore  that  place  is  much 
to  be  feared  wherein  the  enemy  hath  so  many  swords, 
since  that  one  only  sword  of  his  may  be  feared.  Again, 
the  devil  in  this  place  strikes  with  a  sharpened  sword ; 
for  the  women  come  not  willingly  to  the  dance,  if  they 
be  not  painted  and  adorned;  the  which  painting  and 
ornament  is  as  a  grindstone,  upon  which  the  devil 
sharpeneth  his  sword.  They  that  deck  and  adorn 
their  daughters,  are  like  those  who  put  dry  wood  to 
the  fire,  to  the  end  it  may  burn  the  better."  "  Dancing 

is  the  pomp  of  the  devil,  and  he  that  danceth  main- 
N 


178 

the  real  fact ;  yet,allow  it,  still  this  was  not  the 
only  profession  they  attacked.  Physic  and 
oratory  have  occasionally  participated  in 
their  censure,  and  become  the  objects  of 
their  antipathy.  Pliny  informs  us,  that  the 
science  of  physic  was  so  repugnant  to  the 
general  sense  of  mankind,  that  there  was 
scarcely  a  kingdom  of  any  consequence  in 
the  world,  but  rejected  it  with  the  greatest 
aversion. 

Hippocrates,  one  of  those  exalted  genius's 

taineth  his  pomp,  and  singeth  his  mass.  For  the  wo- 
man that  singeth  in  the  dance,  is  the  prioress  of  the 
devil,  and  those  that  answer  are  clerks,  and  the  be- 
holders, are  the  parishioners,  and  the  music  are  the 
bells,  and  the  fidlers  the  ministers  of  the  devil." 
History  of  Dancing,  page  47. 

There  are  as    many  ancient  authorities,  and  opin- 
ions of  Fathers,  against  the  use  of  dancing  and  sing- 
ing, (hymns  excepted)as  there  are  against  represent 
ihg  or  witnessing  the  performance  of  a  play. 


179 

formed  to  conquer  difficulties,  and  dissipate 
prejudices,  was  fortunate  enough,  after 
many  struggles,  to  make  the  establishment 
of  this  noble  science  palatable.  He  redu- 
ced it  from  its  own  experience  to  rules,  he 
composed  tables,  and  they  were  suspended 
in  the  Ephesian  temple  of  Diana.  Its 
success  terminated  a  very  short  period  after 
his  decease.  Notwithstanding  his  having 
left  a  number  of  disciples,  and  the  probable 
benefit  derived  from  their  practice,  all 
could  not  deter  the  Athenian  Senate  from 
forbid ing  the  study  of  physic,  and  banish- 
ing the  professors  out  of  Greece. 

About  two  centuries  after  this  event, 
Chrysippus  was  an  eminent  physician  with 
the  Argians,  by  publishing  opinions  in  op- 
position to  the  rules  of  Hippocrates,  he  gave 
rise  to  a  violent  wordy  war,  which  like  many 
modem  literary  battles,  terminated  in  ani- 
mosity, perpetual  contention,  and  invincible 


180 

hatred.  The  Grecian  legislature  interfer- 
ed and  suppressed  the  profession,  with  the 
declaration,  "  that  honour  and  life  ought 
never  to  become  matter  of  dispute."  One 
hundred  years  elapsed  when  the  art  of 
healing  was  graced  with  another  ornament 
in  the  person  of  Aristrato,  a  nephew  to 
Aristotle.  As  far  as  royal  favour  could 
extend,  he  seems  to  stand  pre-eminently 
distinguished,  having  received  as  a  fee  from 
Antiochus  the  first,  a  Prince's  daughter,  a 
thousand  talents  in  silver,  and  a  cup  of 
gold!  Still,  the  prejudice  against  the 
science  was  unextinguished,  the  skill  of 
Aristrato  did  not  support  it  beyond  the 
lives  of  the  few  disciples  he  left ;  again,  it 
was  to  feel  a  temporary  depression,  and  the 
Senate  once  more  forbade  the  reading  and 
practice  of  physic.  The  next  was  Erperices, 
who  gave  the  Sicilians  a  transient  glimpse 
of  the  art ;  and  some  short  period  after  him, 
we  hear  of  Herophilus  being  an  eminent 


181 

physician  in  Rhodes.  A  few  years  after 
his  decease,  this  exalted  science,  as  if  dis- 
gusted with  the  ingratitude  and  obstinacy 
of  men,  withdrew  its  cheering  influence 
for  the  long  extended  space  of  full  eight 
hundred  years!!!  During  this  incredibly 
lengthened  period,  the  practice  of  a  phy- 
sician was  interdicted  through  the  whole 
of  Europe  and  Asia ! ! ! 

Asclepiades,  under  Providence,  revived 
the  art  in  the  Island  of  Lesbos.  Not  to 
trace  it  through  all  its  heavy  depressions, 
and  transient  elevations,  I  will  only  give  a 
few  instances  more,  and  dismiss  the  subject. 
— Antonius  Musa,  a  Grecian  physician, 
practising  in  Rome,  in  the  days  of  the  second 
Caesar,  will  furnish  us  with  at  once  a  strik- 
ing proof  of  the  state  of  medicine  at  that 
period,  and  the  ignorance  and  cruelty  of 
this  great  nation,  so  often  called  upon  to 
instruct    us   poor  barbarians?      Antonius 


182 

had  the  good  fortune  of  receiving  the  hon- 
our of  a  statue,  for  performing  a  cure  upon 
Augustus,  and  he  had  the  noble  return  of 
being  stoned  to  death,  for  exercising  one  of 
the  most  essential  and  useful  branches  of 
surgery — amputation  ! ! !  Not  content  with 
this  enlightened  punishment,  for  having 
performed  a  laudable  act,  they  came  to  a 
resolution  (in  the  Senate)  never  to  admit 
physicians  again  in  Rome,  which  determi- 
nation was  kept  inviolable,  until  the  return 
of  Nero,  from  Greece,  "  when,"  says  Pliny, 
"he brought  physicians  and  vices  enough 
with  him."  Titus  banished  both  orators 
and  physicians,  and  gave  as  an  excuse  for 
his  conduct)  the  whimsical  reason,  that 
the  one  were  destroyers  of  good  customs, 
and  others  enemies  of  health  !  Adding,  "  I 
banish  physicians  to  prevent  vice,  for  it  is 
well  known  where  they  reside,  for  the  most 
part  the  people  are  very  wicked."    Cato 


183 

Uticensis,  in  one  of  his  letters  from  Greece 
to  his  son  Marcellus,  says,  "  Physic  is  like 
to  prove  most  dangerous  to  our  common- 
wealth ;  for  the  people  here  have  long  since 
resolved  to  murder  those  by  potion  they 
cannot  conquer  by  arms.  I  every  day  ob- 
serve these  doctors  quarrelling  among  them- 
selves, not  how  they  shall  cure,  but  how 
they  shall  kill  their  patients  ;  but  I  enjoin 
you,  son  Marcellus,  immediately  to  advice 
the  senate  of  the  arrival  of  the  phy- 
sicians lately  sent  from  hence,  that  they 
may  not  be  suffered  to  read  or  practice 
their  pernicious  mysteries  among  you." 
Is  there  a  being  in  existence  absurd  enough 
to  apply  any  of  these  semi-barbarian  opi- 
nions to  the  present  state  of  oratory  and 
physic? — Or  are  these  the  judges  who  are 
to  direct,  with  an  imperious  fiat,  our  im- 
proved, and  far  more  refined  intellectual 
taste  ? — Away   with   them   to   the  sacred 


184 

shades  of  silence  and  retirement*! — Like 
the  books  of  enchantment  in  the  land  of 
romance,  they  are  applied  to  by  the  learned 
-wizard  only  to  raise  phantoms,  create  mis- 
chief, and  scatter  confusion!  Not  that  I 
dread  encountering  the  decisions  of  the 
authorities  quoted  against  the  moral  ex- 
ercise of  a  theatre.  I  could  even  bring  in 
opposition  to  them  some  of  the  most  ex- 
alted of  the  ancient  writers,  giving  their 
unqualified  sanction  and  support  to  the  use 
of  a  stage!  How  nobly  and  how  forcibly 
is  the  utility  and  dignity  of  the  profession 


*  Let  it  not  be  understood,  that  I  apply  this  to  the 
works  of  the  great  masters. — No — these  in  spite 
of  modern  vandalism,  must  triumph  over  time,  and 
be  objects  of  applause  and  veneration,  until  human 
intellect  be  totally  subdued.  It  is  only  the  contro- 
versial subjects  I  would  wish  placed  in  a  quiescent 
state,  for  the  silent  admiration  of  the  studious  and  the 
curious. 


185 

evinced  by  a  circumstance  recorded  as 
having  taken  place  during  the  triumvirate 
of  Pompey,  Crassus,  and  Ccesar.  An  his- 
torical fact,  graced  by  the  notice  of  Lord 
Chesterfield,  in  his  celebrated  speech  upon 
the  players'  bill.  The  deductions  he 
draws  from  it  are  so  much  to  our  present 
purpose,  that  (to  adorn  my  cause)  I  will 
give  the  whole  quotation  in  his  lordship's 
words.  "  During  the  triumvirate  of  Pom- 
pey, Crassus,  and  Ccesar, — Diphilus,  an  ac- 
tor, revived  one  of  the  oldest  plays  in  the 
Latin  tongue,  in  which  there  happened  to 
he  the  following  line,  Nostns,  miseris 
magnus  es  /  The  whole  audience  imme- 
diately applied  this  to  Pompey,  (as  well 
known  by  the  name  of  Magnus  as  that  of 
Pompey)  and  made  the  performer  repeat  it 
a  hundred  times! — What  did  Pompey  ? 
Did  he  resent  the  satire,  or  the  people's 
applause  ? — No,  his  conduct  was  wise  and 
prudent ;  he  reflected  justly  within  himself. 


1«<5 

that  some  actions  he  had  been  guilty  of 
had  made  him  unpopular  ;  from  that  hour 
he  began  to  alter  his  measures,  he  gained 
by  degrees  the  people's  esteem,  grew  popu- 
lar again,   and   then  neither  feared  their 
wit,  nor  felt  their  satire.     My   Lords,  the 
stage,  preserved  and  kept  up  to  its  true  pur- 
pose, should,  no  doubt,  only  represent  such 
incidents  in  the  actions  and  characters  of 
men,  as  may  tend  to  the  discouragement  of 
vice,  and  the  promoting  of  virtue  and  good 
life  ;  nor  does  it  vary  from  its  institution 
when  it  helps  us  to  judge  of  the  vices  and 
follies  of  the  times.     And  though  the  Ro- 
mans,   at    the  period  I   have  mentioned, 
were  declining  in  their  liberty,  yet  it  is 
plain  they  had  not  then  lost  the  use  of  it; 
but  when  the  stage  is  under  power  and  con- 
trol, such  instances  are  not  to  be  met  with." 
This  fact  weighs  down  a  hundred  theoretic 
opinions.' — Here  is  proof  positive  of  a  re- 
formation produced  in  the  conduct  of  one 


187 

upon  whom  depended  the  fate  of  thousands, 
if  not  millions!  I  could  bring  a  cloud 
of  ancient  documents  equally  as  strong. — 
I  do  not  wish  it — I  contemn  the  subter- 
fuge of  removing  the  question  to  such  re- 
mote grounds.  The  Romans  could  no 
more  lay  down  rules  for  us,  than  we  can, 
at  the  present  moment,  dictate  laws  for  the 
people  who  may  inhabit  the  banks  of  the 
Tyber,  two  thousand  years  to  come.  Hu- 
man measures,  wearing  the  stamp  of  wis- 
dom some  centuries  past,  would,  very 
probably,  now  present  the  effigy  of  folly. 

With  all  due  deference  to  the  Fathers  in 
council,  or  out  of  council,  I  must  and  will 
question  their  decisions  on  the  subject. — 
They  could  not  judge  of  what  they  did  not 
know.  Whatever  existed  of  a  theatre  in  their 
times,  was  immersed  in  barbarism,  indecen- 
cy, vulgarity,  and  impiety! 


188 

Could  the  extinction  of  a  profession,  even 
in  that  state,  have  compensated  for  the  loss 
of  a  Shakspeare,  and,  very  probably,  a  Mil- 
ton? An  idle  question!  Few  of  the  oppo- 
nents Of  a  WELL  REGULATED    STAGE  have 

taste,feeiingsusceptibility,orgeniusenough, 
to  relish  the  genuine  beauties  of  either  of 
those  divine  bards. 

The  stage  objectors  deal  precisely  in  the 
same  manner  with  the  ecclesiastics,  they  do 
with  the  ancient  schoolmen  ;  it  is  the  con- 
demnations published  against  the  stage, 
they  alone  avail  themselves  of,  rejecting 
every  other  opinion  which  the  Fathers  held 
equally  irrefragable.  They  punished  all 
those  who  presumed  to  maintain  an  opinion 
of  the  existence  of  the  antipodes,  or  that  the 
earth  had  any  other  form  than  that  of  a 
plane!  Now  every  school  boy  knows  we 
have  antipodes,  and  that  our  planet  is  orbi- 
cular.  The  Copernican  system  was  anathe- 


189 

matised,  and  its  supporters  excommunica- 
ted. At  present,  the  Copernician  system  is 
fully  established;  and  the  excommunica- 
tions sleep  with  the  Fathers.  Why  their  rest 
should  be  disturbed  upon  the  present  sub- 
ject, must  ever  excite  in  me  wonder  and 
regret. 

There  is  an  ancient  book  in  existence 
to  whose  opinions  1  bend  with  profound 
reverence.  From  whose  source  we  ail  af- 
fect to  derive  instruction,  wisdom,  consola- 
tion, comfort  and  support.  Had THAT  BOOK 
presented  any  thing  in  opposition  to  my  side 
of  the  question,  I  should  not  have  had  the 
temerity  to  proceed  thus  far.  But  in  vain 
have  officious  zealots  endeavoured  to  tor- 
ture different   texts  to  their  purpose  ;  not 

ONE    SOLITARY  SENTENCE    IS  tO    be  found 

condemning  the  use  of  the  stage!  One 
of  the  most  indefatigable  labourers,  in  the 
vineyards  of  the  gospel,  whose  elegance  of 


190 

style  can  only  be  excelled  by  the  value  of  his 
precepts,  has  borrowed  a  sentence  in  one  of 
his  epistles  to  the  Corinthians,  from  the 
Greek  dramatist  Menander.  "  Evil  com- 
munications corrupt  good  manners."  An 
apothegm  consistent  with  the  purity  of  the 
moral  school,  it  was  delivered  in,  and  worthy 
the  enlightened  apostles  pen  to  promulgate! 

That  the  saint  was  conversant  with  the 
Grecian  poets  we  have  from  himself, *  that 
he  was  familiarly  acquainted  with  the  cus- 
toms and  manners  of  the  Greeks,  his  travels 
and  his  writings  will  prove  to  us ;  nor  is  it 
any  great  stretch  of  probability  to  suppose 
him  a  frequenter  of  the  Attic  theatre,  and 
an  auditor  at  the  play  he  has  honoured  by 
his  quotation.     To  corroborate  this  suppo- 


*  For  in  him  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our 
being ;  ascertain  also  of  your  own  poets  have  said — for 
we  are  also  his  offspring".  Act6  c.  xvii.  v.  28r 


191 

aition,  I  will  transcribe  a  passage  from  "  the 
History  of  the  Bible,"  published  in  London, 
1699,  giving  an  account  of  the  commotion 
raised  against  Paul,  at  Ephesus,  by  the  sil- 
versmith, and  others  concerned  in  the  man- 
ufactory of  idols.*  The  rabble  forced  two 
of  his  companions  into  the  theatre.  My 
history  adds,  "  Paul  would  have  presented 
himself  to  the  people,  but  is  withheld  by 
certain  priests  of  Asia,  who  having  em- 
braced the  faith,  retained  yet  the  names 
of  chief  of  Asia,  and  presided  in  the  public 


*  And  the  whole  city  was  filled  with  confusion,  and 
naving  caught  Gaius  and  Aristarchus,  men  of  Mace- 
donia, Paul's  companions  in  travel,  they  rushed  with 
one  accord  into  the  theatre. 

And  certain  of  the  chief  of  Asia,  Which  were  his 
friends,  sent  unto  him,  desiring  him  that  he  would  not 
adrenttrre  himself  into  the  theatre. 

Acts  c.  xix.  v.  29 — 31. 


192 

games,  when  they  could  do  it  with  a  safe 
conscience"* 

I  dare  say  the  ingenuity  of  the  M  bible- 
mongeks"  will  enable  them  to  torture  this 
plain  paragraph  to  their  own  purpose,  and 
they  will  find  a  saving  clause  in  a  safe  con- 
science!  J  draw  from   it  a  conclusion, 

that  our  very  earliest  christians  frequented 
theatres !  This  may  be  objected  to,  as  not 
coining  within  the  facts  recorded  in  the  Bi- 
hle  itself,  but  only  the  history ,  still  it  is 
from  an  abridgement  of  the  lives  of  the 
apostles,  collected  from  the  holy  fathers  and 
other  ancient  ecclesiastical  writers  ?  We  find, 
at  any  rate,  from  the  scriptural  text,  that 
Paul  would  have  entered  the  theatre,  had 
not  the  dissuasions  of  his  friends  and  the 
magistrates  who  were  apprehensive  for  his 


*  The  same  history  says,  Paul  remained  in  Ephesus 
three  years  after  this  tumult. 


393 

safety,  prevented  him.  His  intention  was, 
indubitably,  boldly  to  preach  his  doctrine  to 
his  enemies,  and  avail  himself  of  the  oppor- 
tunity of  numbers  to  disseminate  his  prin- 
ciples :  nor  would  the  magnificence  of  the 
structure  in  which  his  oration  would  have 
been  delivered,  nor  the  purpose  for  which 
the  building  was  erected,  have  destroyed  the 
irresistible  force  of  his  reasoning,  nor  injur- 
ed the  elegant  brevity,  simplicity  and  per- 
spicuity of  his  style.  Here  we  find  the  use 
of  a  theatre  recorded  in  holy  writ,  and  not 
a  single  passage  of  condemnation  against 
it!  In  our  times  places  for  scenic  repre- 
sentation are  burnt  to  the  ground,  and  mo- 
dern saints  exult  with  joy  over  the  ruins  of 
the  "  profane  temples."  St.  Paul  was  on 
the  point  of  being  (perhaps)  murdered  in 
one,  but  he  never  breathes  an  exclamation 
against  the  institution,  or  its  principles ! 
These  proofs  are,  in  my  opinion,  more  than 

sufficient  to  overwhelm  all  the  arguments 
O 


194 

presented  by  all  the  cavillers,  opposers  and 
objectors  to  a  theatre  that  ever  existed. 
What,  I  would  ask,  are  the  fables,  the  apo- 
logues, and  the  parables  of  the  ancients  ?* 
Are  they  not  dramas?  Do  we  not  find  in 
them  the  different  characters  speaking  and 
acting  according  to  their  various  disposi- 
tions? Are  they  not  made  up  of  the  virtu- 
ous, the  vicious,  the  cunning,  the  simple, 
the  miser,  the  spendthrift,  the  luxurious  rich, 
the  abject  poor ;  in  6hort,  all  the  degrees, 
conditions,  vices,  virtues,  passions,  affec- 
tions, feelings,  incident  to  human  nature? 
They  were  delivered  by  owe  speaker,  certain- 
ly, yet  the  formation,  end,  and  design,  are 
the  same,  by  an  agreeable,  innocent  fiction, 
to  arrest  the  attention  of  the  careless,  and  by 
imperceptible  degrees,  guide  his  steps 
towards  wisdom  and  virtue. 


*  But  without  a  parable  spake  he  not  unto  them. 

Mark  c.  ir.  34. 


195 

Would  the  book  of  Job*  become  less  valu- 
able if  the  characters  of  the  man  of  Uz,  his 
wife,  Eliphaz,  Bildad  and  Zophar,  were  to 
be  recited  by  different  speakers  capable  of 


*  Whether  this  extraordinary  victim  to  misery,  suf- 
fering-, and  punishment,  was  really  an  inhabitant  of 
this.earth,  or  only  created  out  of  the  poet's  imagination, 
is  a  point  still  in  suspense  with  the  various  commen- 
tators on  the  Bible.  Many  of  them  consider  the  book 
of  Job,  in  the  light  of  a  drama;  and  from  the  supe- 
rior excellence  of  the  moral,  consistency  of  the  char- 
acters, sublimity  of  thought,  and  simplicity  of  style,  it 
evinces  strong  evidences  of  emanating  from  the  first 
order  of  genius.  Some  of  the  interpreters  and  ex- 
pounders of  scripture,  have,  with  a  great  degree  of 
seeming  probability,  attributed  its  composition  to 
Moses.  Shrink  ye  not,  fanatics,  at  the  profanation — 
what! — the  sacred  law — giver  a  dramatist  ! — Be  not 
alarmed ;  could  we  give  you  many  such  specimens  of 
sublimity  and  dignity — mole-eyed  and  beetle-headed 
as  ye  are,  the  Drama  must  have  commanded  your  ap- 
probation and  support,  and  perhaps  been  as  much  an 
object  of  your  idolatry  as  it  is  now  of  your  hatred  A 
Ye  know  no  medium. 


196 

giving  effect  to  the  importance  of  their 
several  situations  and  dispositions?  I  feel 
a  conviction  it  would  not:  and  even  if  you 
could,  by  the  auxiliary  aid  of  music*  and 
painted  canvas,  induce  the  heedless  and 
thoughtless  to  ponder  on  the  serious  moral 
of  pious  resignation  to  the  dispensations 
of  providence,  you  would  be  doing  society  at 
large  a  singular  service.  If  the  beverage 
be  wholesome,  never  hesitate  tasting,  be- 
cause the  cup  is  embossed. 

I  have  not  the  most  distant  wish  for  the 
stage  to  intrench  upon  the  duties  of  the 
pulpit;  still  further  from  my  thoughts,  be 
every  intention  of  disrespect  to  the  clergy. 
Nor  would  I  presume  to  raise  my  profes- 


*  And  they  began  to  be  merry.  Now  his  elder  son 
was  in  the  field,  and  as  he  came  and  drew  nigh  to  the 
house,  he  heard  music  and  dancing. 

Luke  c.  xv.  v.  24,  25. 


107 

sion  at  the  expense  of  a  body,  whose  sacred 
function  entitles  it  to  the  reverence  and 
esteem  of  all  the  virtuous ; — men,  who  by 
the  aid  of  the  gospel,  can  give  eyes  to  the 
blind,  feet  to  the  lame,  health  to  the  sick, 
wisdom  to  the  ignorant,  comfort  to  the 
afflicted,  and  happiness  to  all  : — the  advo- 
cates at  the  throne  of  mercy,  the  pleaders  to 
divine  grace,  for  the  frailties,  errors,  and 
and  imperfections  of  their  wretched  fellow- 
creatures.  But  let  the  drama  second  the 
efforts  of  the  pulpit,  and  though  an  humble 
assistant,  it  will  be  found  capable  of  being 
made  an  active  and  powerful  ally  in  the 
great  cause  of  virtue. 

Many  blend  the  improprieties  of  the  stage 
with  the  thing  itself,  and,  because  there  is 
an  exuberance,  the  whole  must  be  extirpa- 
ted. If  the  objection  depended  merely  upon 
the  improprieties  of  the  stage,  with  pleasure 
would  I  give  my  feeble  aid  to  the  exposure 


198 

of  them,  loudly  would  I  raise  my  voice  for 
the  extinction  of  them,  and  gladly  would  I 
immolate  at  the  shrine  of  offended  decency, 
every  line  repugnant  to  modesty,  morality 
and  virtue. 

The  stage,  if  left  to  its  own  bias,  must 
ever  fall  in  with  the  predominant  taste  of  its 
admirers  ;  but  properly  governed,  it  will 
become  a  guide  instead  of  a  follower,  and 
act  as  a  firm  opposer  to  every  improper 
public  feeling  and  sentiment.  The  drama 
participates  strongly  in  the  genius  it  eman- 
ates from,  and  is  supported  by — poesv.  It 
therefore  loves  with  fervour,  and  hates  with 
energy.  The  tender  husband,  the  affec- 
tionate wife,  the  rational  parent,  the  dutiful 
child,  the  constant  lover,  the  mild  prince, 
the  loyal  subject,  the  pious  priest;  in  short, 
the  truely  good,  religious,  moral,  and  vir- 
tuous, are  the  object  of  its  warmest  attach- 
ment; it  decks  them  out  in  theirown  native 


199 

beauteous  colou rs,  sounds  forth  their  praise, 
and  cherishes  them  as  its  most  darling 
favourites.  But,  woe!  woe  !  woe!  to  their 
opposites ! 

The  jealous  husband,  the  inconstant  wife, 
the  cruel  father,  the  abandoned  son,  the 
perjured  lover,  the  tyrannical  prince,  the 
revolting  subject,  the  hypocritical  priest, 
all  become  loathsome,  and  it  punishes 
them  to  the  utmost  extent  of  poetical  ven- 
geance. 

It  was  with  extreme  regret  I  read  Miss 
Baillie's  objection  to  fashionable  comedy, 
upon  the  plea  of  its  encouraging  disrespect 
to  parents,  and  weakening  the  ties  of  filial 
obedience.  She  says,  "  The  moral  tenden- 
cy of  it  is  very  faulty  ;  that  mockery  of  a^e 
and  domestic  authority,  so  constantly  held 
forth,  has  a  very  bad  effect  upon  the  young- 
er part  of  an  audience." — With  all  possible 


200 

deference  to  Miss  Baillie,  T  cannot  but  con- 
sider this  objection  inadmissible.  Foolish, 
weak  and  wicked  parents,  are  held  up  to 
derision  and  contempt;  and  so  are  obsti- 
nate, perverse  and  wilful  children.  They 
are  equally  injurious  to  the  well-being  of 
society,  and  therefore  fair  objects  for  satire. 
Nor  can  I  conceive  the  claims  of  the  pa- 
rents to  exemption  ;  on  the  contrary,  I 
think  they  more  richly  merit  exposure  and 
reprobation  :  for  the  follies  and  aberrations 
of  the  children  are,  too  frequently,  the  con- 
sequence of  the  vices  and  weaknesses  of 
those  beings,  who  expect  reverence  and 
esteem  in  exchange  for  imbecility  and  vice. 
Affection,  respect  and  attention  to  virtuous 
parents,  can  be  no  where  more  strongly 
enforced  than  on  the  stage :  in  fact,  it  is 
one  of  the  most  imperious  ties  implanted 
in  the  human  breast:  it  would  be,  therefore, 
strange  indeed,  if  the  dramatic  writers,  of 


201 

all  others,  would  not  avail  themselves  of  a 
principle  capable  of  producing  effect,  in- 
terest and  sympathy.  I  scarcely  remem- 
ber a  play  where  the  filial  and  parental  ties 
(with  the  above  exceptions)  are  not  placed 
in  the  most  amiable  point  of  view.  If  there 
are  harsh,  tyranical,  passionate,  unreason- 
able, selfish,  cruel,  parents  in  nature,  why 
should  the  mere  honour  of  giving  life  to 
their  oppressed  offspring,  shelter  them  from 
the  indignation  of  the  satirist,  or  protect 
them  from  the  punishment  due  to  their 
errors  and  absurdities  ?  Plays  would  indeed 
be  culpable,  if  they  were  to  be  swayed  by 
such  incongruous  partialities. 

The  respect  for  age,  and  the  veneration 
for  parents,  so  strongly  inculcated  and  elu- 
cidated by  numerous  instances  in  the  page 
of  history,  did  not  originate  in  the  mere 
name  of  sire,  or  the  appearance  of  silvered 


202 

age ;   but,  from  the  wisdom,  virtue,  and 
propriety  of  the  seniors.* 


*  "If  many  boys  are  by  the  original  energy  of  na- 
ture, and  the  gracious  discipline  of  providence,  ena- 
bled to  outgrow  the  futile  habits  of  their  early  years ; 
no  thanks  to  those  wicked  or  foolish  parents,  who 
did  every  thing  to  spoil  them.  Ah,  ye  mothers  of  Bri- 
tain, what  a  mighty  task  is  yours !  Of  what  super- 
lative importance  to  the  happiness  of  mankind  !  How 
much  have  those  of  you  to  answer  for,  whose  fantastic 
fondness  has,  from  the  very  days  in  which  you  ought 
to  have  laid  the  foundation  of  virtue  and  glory,  entailed 
corruption  and  dishonour  on  your  offspring.  How 
different  from  the  mothers  of  antiquity,  who,  having 
bred  their  sons  to  every  thing  manly  and  heroic, 
were  accustomed  when  they  went  out  to  fight  for  their 
country, — (that  great  predominating  object  to  which 
all  others  gave  way  in  their  affections,) — to  charge 
them  either  to  come  back  victorious,  or  to  be  brought 
back  dead,  chusing  rather  that  they  should  not  live 
thanlive  in  shame." 

Fordyce's  Addresses  to  Young  Men. 


203 

That  the  stage  has  defects,  loud,  crying 
defects,  I  am  willing  to  acknowledge,  but 
they  are  only  excrescences,  they  disgrace 
the  trunk,  but  they  cannot  vitiate  it !  It 
has  sufficient  strength  to  permit  their  eradi- 
cation, and  flourish  with  ten-fold  vigour ! 
But  I  trust  it  will  be  in  my  power  to  prove, 
that  even  in  its  present  state,  it  is  not  com- 
posed of  the  deleterious  qualities  which 
bigotry,  fanaticism,  and  ignorance,  would 
endeavour  to  persuade  us  it  is. 

I  deem  a  review  of  the  lives  of  its  prin- 
cipal professors  to  be  a  fair  and  justifiable 
mode  of  proving  its  tendency  to  morality, 
or  its  inclination  to  impurity.  If  the  stage 
tends  to  corrupt  and  debase  a  nation,  the 
players  must,  of  all  people,  be  the  most  de- 
praved and  infamous!  Probably  you  will 
say,  "  That  the  agent  merely  administer- 
ing poison,  feels  none  of  the  effects."  True 
— but  if  he  be  obliged  to  swallow  his  share 


204 

of  the  baneful  dose,  he  must  participate 
in  the  fatal  consequences.  Let  us  com- 
mence our  review,  at  the  period  when  our 
stage  was  emerging  from  barbarism,  when 
it  had  shaken  off  the  impieties  of  "  the 
mysteries"  the  absurdities  of  "  the  mora- 
lities ;"  when,  like  a  summer's  morn,  pre- 
paring for  the  glorious  effulgence  of  the 
sun,  it  dawned  for  the  appearance  of  our 
great  theatrical  luminary  !  Still  the  theatre 
(if  it  might  so  be  called)  was  even  then  in 
a  most  abject,  a  most  degraded  abasement. 
Not  a  single  dramatic  piece,  produced 
previous  to  Shakspeare's  plays,  holds  a 
situation  upon  the  present  existing  stage  ; 
they  are  only  to  be  found  in  the  libraries 
of  the  curious*.     All  the  inference  to  be 

*  One  of  the  first  regular  comedies  extant,  in  the 
English  language,  "  Gammer  Ourton's  Needle?  was 
written  by  a  clegyman,  Dr.  Still,  successively  master 
of  St.  John's  and  Trinity  Colleges,  Cambridge,  and 
afterwards  Bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells. 


205 

drawn  from  the  depression  of  the  stage,  at 
the  period  I  have  mentioned — is — that  po- 
verty   and  infamy  compose  a  fruitful  soil 
for  the  nourishment  of  every  vice !    To  a 
society,  in  this  despicable  state,  the  young, 
the  thoughtless  Shakspeare,  flew  for  shel- 
ter.   An  outcast  from  his  country,  branded 
with  theft,  and  armed  with  graceless  au- 
dacity to  ridicule  the  magistrate  whom  he 
injured;  thrown     upon  the    world  with- 
out   a    friend     or     adviser ;    from     this 
debased    body    he     courted    support!-— 
To  this  sink  he  flew  for  refuge!    What  a 
sanctuary  for  a  being  of  his  description  ! — 
What  a  seminary  for  the  improvement  of 
his  talents ! — With  such  an  auxiliary,  pos- 
sessing such  wonderful  endowments,  such 
abandoned    propensities,    what    were   the 
players    not   capable  of  effecting   in  the 
cause   of  vice?    Did   they   employ  their 
new  ally,  their  powerful  agent,  in  the  sub- 
version of  virtue,  the  corruption   of  mo- 


206 

rality,  the  degradation  of  religion?  Let 
applauding  millions  answer,  an  admiring 
world  reply  ! — His  future  progress  unble- 
mished ! — His  character  unsullied  ! — His 
death  a  nation's  loss  ! — His  life  a  nation's 
pride! — His  grave  marked  by  malice,  as 
one  of  the  few  spots,  where  she  can  gain 
no  footing*! — His  memory  and  his  works 
can  only  perish,  when 

"  The  cloud- capt  towers,  the  gorgeous  palaces, 
"  The  solemn  temples — the  great  globe  itself— 
"  Yea  all  which  it  inherit  shall  dissolve, 
"  And,  like  the  baseless  fabric  of  a  vision, 
"  Leave  not  a  wreck  behind!  " 


*  A  modern  vandal  has  had  the  impudent  assurance 
to  stigmatise  him  as  a  libertine ;  and  asks  with  un- 
paralled  effrontery.  "  What  loss  could  society  pos- 
sibly have  experienced,  if  the  bard  had  never  been 
called  into  existence?"  When  I  first  read  this 
vamperof  Collier — this  furbisher  up  of  old  weapons 


207 

Many  of  his  dramatic  contemporaries 
have  been  handed  down  to  posterity,  mark- 
ed with  some  pleasing  trait,  reflecting  cre- 
dit on  their  different  characters.  One  of 
his  brother  comedians  and  particular  friends, 
Alleyn,  founded  a  college  at  Dulwich,  for 
the  relief  of  a  certain  number  of  old  per- 
sons, where,  to  this  day,  age  and  poverty 
return  thanks  to  heaven  for  ease  and  com- 
fort, through  the  benevolence  of  a  profane 
stage-player* .    From  the  Shaksperian  band, 

from  the  armory  of  puritanical  anti-stagers ;  I  felt 
inclined  to  follow  him  through  all  his  glaring  absur- 
dities, and,  by  exposing  them,  have  left  him  to  the 
contempt  he  deserves !  But,  upon  mature  reflec- 
tion, I  found  it  would  only  have  been  giving  sub- 
stance to  a  shadow,  locality  to  nothing,  consequence 
to  insignificance  and  fuel  to  the  flame  of  vanity  ! 

*  Dulwich  is  noted  for  its  college,  founded  by  Ed- 
ward Alleyn,  the  actor,  of  whom  Mr.  Lyons  gives  the 
following  account : — Edward  Alleyn  was  the  son  of 
Edward  Alleyn,  of  Wellwyn,  in  the  county  of  Bucks ; 


208 

pass  on  to  the  company  having-possession 

his  mother  was  daughter  of  John  Townley,  Esq.  of 
Lancashire — he  was  born  in  1566,  in  Allhallows,  Lom- 
bard-st.  where,  in  Fuller's  time,  was  the  sign  of  the 
Pye-Man,  Devonshire  House.  Fuller  says  "  he  was 
bred  a  stage  player ;  "  he  certainly  went  upon  the 
stage  at  an  early  age,  and  soon  acquired  great  cele- 
brity in  his  profession.  Baker,  speaking  of  him 
and  Burbage,  says,  "  they  were  two  such  actors  as  no 
age  must  ever  look  to  see  the  like."  Hey  wood  calls 
him  "  Proteus  for  shapes  and  Roscius  for  a  tongue." 
Fuller  says  "  he  was  the  Roscius  of  the  age  especi- 
ally in  a  majestic  part."  He  is  spoken  of  also  in  the 
highest  commendation,  as  an  actor,  by  Ben  Johnson 
t  and  others  of  his  contemporaries. 

Alleyn  was  sole  proprietor  of  the  Fortune  Play- 
house in  Golden-Lane,  which  he  built  at  his  own 
expense,  and  which,  no  doubt,  as  he  was  a  favorite 
actor,  was  the  source  of  considerable  emolument. — 
He  also  possessed  a  paternal  estate  and  improved  his 
fortune  by  marriage.  Having  acquired  a  consider- 
able property,  he  determined  to  bestow  it  upon  a 
charitable  foundation.  Having,  after  some  difficulty, 
at  length  obtained  the  royal  assent,  Alleyn  fixed  upon 


209 
of  the  theatre   in  the  time  of  Charles  L* 


Dulwich  as  the  spot  upon  which  he  founded  his  col- 
lege, having  purchased  an  estate  there  as  early  as 
1606.  Here  he  retired  after  he  left  the  stage,  and 
having  formed  his  plan,  he  superintended  the  erect- 
ing of  the  college  ;  lived  to  see  it  finished,  and 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  at  Dulwich,  visiting 
and  being  visited  by  some  of  the  most  respectable 
people  in  the  kingdom  ;  he  died  in  November,  1  626, 
and  was  buried  in  the  college  chapel  on  the  27th  of 
of  the  same  month. 

*  "  It  was  in  the  time  of  Charles,  Prynne  (that., 
"  most  violent  puritan)  wrote  a  book  against  actors, 
"  called,  <  Hislriomatix  ;  or  the  Players  Scourge.' 
"  In  which  he  employs  a  word  of  learning  to  shew 
"  the  injury  they  do ;  and  he  has  been  at  the  pains  to 
"  look  over  one  thousand  authors  on  the  subject,  and 
"  prove  that  in  two  thousand  years,  a  great  number 
<c  of  writers  expressed  their  disgust  at  seeing  men 
"  unon  the  stage  in  women's  cloaths,  for  it  was  not 
"  then  customary  for  any  woman  to  appear  in  cha- 
"  racter.  This  furious  republican,  who,  b\  his 
"  writings,  contributed  more  than  any  other  man,  to 
P 


210 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  reign,  the  actors 
were  thrown  into  a  dilemma  which  com- 
pletely put  to  the  test  their  moral  conduct. 
Suddenly  bereft  of  their  support,  by  the 
convulsions  of  the  times — deprived  of  the 
protection  of  their  patrons — persecuted  by 
fanaticism — and  anathematised  by  hypocri- 
sy— they  retained,  not  only  their  probity 
unshaken,  but  many  of  them  had  courage 
and  relution  to  preserve,  and  manifest  their 
loyalty  by  fighting  under  the  banners  of 
their  lawful  sovereign.     In  the  new  plays 

"  the  destruction  of  the  monarchy,  and  the  death  of 
"  the  king,  after  having  lost  his  ears  in  the  pillory  for 
"  writing  this  very  book,  became  as  violent  for  the 
"  restoration ;  but  what  a  world  of  mischief  and  blood- 
"  shed  did  he  not  occasion  in  the  mean  time.  As  a 
"  true  lover  of  my  country,  and  its  establishment  in 
"  church  and  state,  I  cannot  help  considering  these 
"  attacks  upon  the  stage,  by  the  evangelical  and  mo- 
<<  dern  puritans,  as  tending  to  the  same  end.  It  be- 
"  hoves  the  legislature  to  look  to  the  consequence." 

DISRAELI'S  CALAITATIES  OF  AUTHORS, 


211 

produced  immediately  after  the  restoration, 
the  dramatis  personae  points  out  the  rank 
held  by  two  of  them  ;  Major  Mohun  and 
Captain  Hart.  Through  the  corrupt  and 
dissipated  reign  of  Charles  II,*  notwith- 
standing the  stage  participated  strongly  in 
the  language  and  manners  of  the  licentious 
court,  we  find  nothing  stated  of  the  players 
being  pre-eminently  debauched,  or  setting 
the  example,  in  their  own  persons,  of  the 
reprehensible  voluptuousness  of  the  time! 
On  the  contrary,  Betterton  (who  lived  to  a 
very  great  age)  is  immortalized  by  the  po- 
lished   praise  of  Sir   Kit  hard   Steele 

classical  genius,  embalming  perishable  ta- 
lent! 

"  For  he  who  struts  his  hour  upon  the  stage, 
"  Can  scarce  extend  his  fame  for  half  an  age ; 
"  Nor  pen,  nor  pencil,  can  the  actor  save, 
"  But  art  and  artist  meet  one  common  grave." 


*  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  during  the  long  reign 
of  Charles  II.  there  are  but  two  divorces  on  record. 


212 

An  anonymous  writer,  after  having  given 
a  most  amiable  picture  of  this  highly  es- 
teemed performer  observes,  "  To  sum  up 
ail  ihat  we  have  been  saying  "  upon  the 
character  of  this  extraordinary  personage, 
as  he  was  the  most  perfect  model  of  dra- 
matic action,  so  was  he  the  most  unblem- 
ished pattern  of  private  and  social  qua- 
lities. Happy  is  it  for  that  player  who 
imitates  him  in  the  one,  and  still  more 
happy  than  who  copies  him  in  the  other.'* 
Sir  Richard  Steele,  in  his  Tatler,  has  been 
particularly  attentive  to  the  transeendant 
merits  of  Mr.  Berterton;  so  much  so,  that 
he  occupies  no  small  share  of  even  the  very 


Yet  stylish  and  fashionable  females  constantly  attend- 
ed the  representation  of  plays,  replete  with  noxious 
qualities,  and  remained — Prudes.  In  the  latter  end 
of  the  reign  of  Geor<rp  III.  your  stylish  and  fashion- 
able females  neglect  the  theatre*  and  remain — Co* 
quettes ! 


213 

first  paper  of  that  celebrated  periodical 
work.  In  the7*st  number  he  again  speaks 
highly  of  him,  for  his  performing  Hamlet 
at  the  advanced  age  of  70. 

Mr.    Addison,    in  number  158,  invites 

the  town    to  attend    Mr.   Betterton  on  his 

benefit  night,  at  the  play-house  in  the 
Hay-market. 

On  Thursday,  May  4,  1710,  Sir  Rich- 
ard devotes  a  great  part  of  his  essay  to  the 
memory  of  his  departed  excellence. 

"  Having  received  notice  that  the  famous 
actor,  Mr.  Betterton,  was  to  be  interred 
this  eveuing  in  the  Cloisters,  near  West- 
minster Abbey,  I  was  resolved  to  walk 
thither,  and  see  the  last  office  done  to  a 
man  whom  I  had  always  very  much  admir- 
ed, and  from  whose  action  I  had  received 
more  strong  impressions  of  what  is  great 


214 

and  noble  in  human  nature,  than  from  the 
arguments  of  the  most  solid  philosophers, 
or  the  description  of  the  most  charming 
poets  I  had  ever  read." 

"  Such  an  actor  as  Mr.  Betterton,  ought 
to  be  recorded  with  the  same  respect  as 
Roscius  among  the  Romans."  "  There  is 
no  human  invention  so  aptly  calculated  for 
the  forming  a  free  born  people  as  that  of  a 
theatre."  "  Tully  reports,  that  the  cele- 
brated player  of  whom  I  have  been  speak- 
ing, (Roscius)  used  frequently  to  say,  *  The 
perfection  of  an  actor  is  only  to  become 
what  he  is  doing.'  "  But  extracts  cannot 
do  justice  to  Sir  Richard's  comments. 

I  would  recommend  the  perusal  of  the 
whole  number  to  comprehend  at  once  the 
great  skill  of  the  actor,  and  enjoy  the  ad- 
ditional gratification  of  the  soundness  of 


215 

mind  and  liberality  of  heart  evinced  by  the 
entertaining  BickerstafK 

It  is,  I  believe,  a  generally  received 
opinion,  that  the  concomitant  to  a  length 
of  years,  must  be  an  unsullied  conscience, 
rectitude  of  conduct,  and  peace  of  mind. 
The  vicious  man  may  have  strength  of 
frame  to  encounter  the  shocks  of  unruly 
passions  ;  or  he  may  have  the  fortune  to 
escape  the  retributive  punishment  of  guilt : 
he  may  live  to  wear  the  silver  badge  of  vir- 
tuous longevity — but  I  am  persuaded  such 
instances  are  rare.  With  heartfelt  satisfac- 
tion can  I  confidently  point  to  my  profes- 
sion for  innumerable  proofs  of  persons 
enjoying  "  age  like  a  lusty  winter,  frosty, 
but  kindly  V' 

,  *  I  will  give  a  few  out  of  the  many  to  prove  it :  Al 
leyn,  70 — Betterton,  75— Mrs.  Betterton,  67 — Colley 
Cibber,  87— Quiu,  73— Rich,  70— Yates,  90— Bow- 


210 

Nor  do  T  remember  a  solitary  instance  of 
one,  from  the  querulousness  of  age,  the 
fear  of  death,  or  the  retrospection  of  the 
past,  falling  into  the  gloom  of  method  ism, 
or  the  depraved  and  desperate  state  of 
atheism  ;  but,  with  a  meek  and  devout 
christian  fervour,  resigning  their  souls  to 
the  equal  judge  of  all,  with  the  firm  con- 
viction, that  they  shall  not  be  arraigned  at 
the  awful  bar  as  players  but  men.  This 
digression,  having  truth  for  its  support, 
serves  to  elucidate  my  position,  that  stage 
performers  are  not  more  vicious,  nor  more 


man,  85— Beard,  75— Leveridge,  88— Macklin  107— 
Jefferson,  76— Hull,  78— Packer,  75— King,  75— 
Havard,  68 — Moody,  84 — Mrs.  Clive,  75,  Lee  Lewes, 
70— Hirst,  70— Mattocks,  65— Lewis,  64— Mrs.  Craw- 
ford, 72— C.  Bannister,  66— Bland,  80.  Living,  Mr. 
Smith,  83— O'Brien,  75— Waidron,  70— Wewitzer, 
64— Quick,  64— Mrs.  Abingdon,  78— Miss  Pope,  69 
—Mrs.    Mattocks,  67— Mrs.  Leng,  76 


217 

corrupt  than  their  fellow  mortals : — how- 
ever, we  now  return  to  the  histriouical  re- 
view ;  and,  passing  to  Booth,  Cibber,  and 
Wilkes,  we  have  only  additional  speci- 
mens of  genius,  urbanity  and  probity*. — 

*  Davies,  in  his  "  Dramatic  Miscellanies,"  has  re- 
corded an  anecdote  of  Mrs.  Porter,  (a  celebrated  ac- 
tress of  this  period)  which  cannot  be  too  generally 
known.  Her  place  of  residence  being  in  the  country, 
she  was  under  the  necessity  of  keeping  a  one  horse 
chaise  for  the  convenience  of  attending  her  profes- 
sional duties  ;  her  constant  companions  were  a  book 
and  a  brace  of  pistols. — "  In  the  summer  1731,  as  she 
was  taking  the  air,  she  was  stopped  by  a  highway- 
man, who  demanded  her  money.  She  had  the  cou- 
rage to  present  one  of  her  pistols  to  him ;  the  man, 
who  had  perhaps  with  him  only  the  appearance  of 
fire  arms,  assured  that  he  was  no  common  thief ;  that 
robbing  on  the  highway  was  not  to  him  a  matter  of 
choice,  but  necessity,  and  in  order  relieve  the  wants 
of  his  poor  distressed  family.  He  informed  her  at 
the  same  time  where  he  lived,  and  told  her  such  a 
melancholy  story  that  she  gave  him  all  the  money  in 
her  purse,  which  was  about  ten  guineas.     The  man 


218 


Bring  it  down  to  Garrick,  not  one  is  to  be 
found  whom  liberality  would  wish  to  erase 


left  her;  upon  this  she  gave  a  la?h  to  her  horse  ;  he 
suddenly  started  out  of  the  track,  and  the  chaise  was 
overthrown;  this  occasioned  the  dislocation  of  her 
thigh  bone.  Let  it  be  remembered,  to  her  honour, 
that  notwithstanding"  this  unlucky  and  painful  acci- 
dent, she  made  strict  inquiry  after  the  robber,  and 
finding  that  he  had  not  deceived  her,  she  raised 
amongst  her  acquaintance  about  sixty  pounds,  which 
the  took  care  to  send  him. 

"  Such  an  action  in  a  person  of  high  rank,  would 
have  been  celebrated  as  something  great  and  heroic : 
the  feeling  mind  will  make  no  distinction  between  the 
generosity  of  an  actress  and  that  of  a  princess." 

Dramatic  Anecdote — The  late  Mrs.  Jordan  pos- 
sessed a  heart  susceptible  of  the  most  tender  and 
humane  emotions,  and  these  were  called  into  instant 
action  at  the  least  approach  of  misery  and  distress.  Dur- 
ing her  short  stay  at  Chester  where  she  had  been  per- 
forming, her  washerwoman,  with  three  small  children, 
was  by  a  merciless  creditor,  thrown  into  prison.    A 


219 

from  the  page  of  biography.  T  decline  par- 
ticularizing others,   more  from  the  fear  of 

small  debt  of  forty  shilling's  had  been  worked  up,  in  a 
short  time,  by  law  expeices  into  a  bill  of  eight  pounds. 
As  soon  as  Mrs.  Jordan  heard  of  the  circumstance, 
she  sent  for  the  attorney  and  paid  him  his  demand. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  the  poor  woman 
was  liberated.  As  Mrs.  Jordan,  with  her  servant, 
was  taking  her  usual  walk  on  the  Chester  walls,  the 
widow  with  her  children  followed  her;  and  just  as 
she  had  taken  shelter  from  a  shower  of  rain  in  a  kind 
of  porch,  dropped  on  her  knees,  and,  with  much 
grateful  emotion,  exclaimed — *.*  God  for  ever  bless 
3'ou  madam  !  you  have  saved  me  and  my  family  from 
ruin."  The  children  beholding  their  mother's  tears, 
added,  by  their  cries  to  the  affecting  scenes  ;  which  a 
sensitive  mind  could  not  behold  without  strong  feel- 
ings of  sympathy.  The  natural  liveliness  of  Mrs. 
Jordan's  disposition  was  not  easily  damped  by  sor- 
rowful scenes ;  however,  though  she  strove  to  hide  it, 
the  tears  of  feeling  stole  down  her  cheek,  and  stoop- 
ping  down  to  kiss  the  children,  she  slipped  a  pound 
note  into  the  mother's  hand,  and  in  her  usual  playful 


220 

becoming  tedious,  than  from  the  want  of 
materials.     The  curious  or  the  incredulous 

manner,  replied — "  There,  there,  now  its  all  over  ; 
go  good  woman.  God  bless  you  ; — don't  say  another 
word."  The  grateful  creature  would  have  replied, 
but  that  good  female  Samaritan  insisted  on  her  si- 
lence and  departure. 

It  happened  that  another  person  had  taken  shelter 
under  the  porch,  and  witnessed  the  whole  of  the  in- 
teresting scene,  who  as  soon  as  Mrs.  Jordan  ob- 
served him,  came  forward,  and  holding  out  his  hand, 
he  exclaimed  with  a  deep  sigh,  "  Lady,  pardon  the 
freedom  of  a  stranger,  but  would  to  the  Lord  the 
world  were  all  like  you !"  The  figure  of  this  man 
bespoke  his  calling ;  his  countenance  was  pale,  and  a 
suit  of  sable,  rather  the  worse  for  wear,  covered  his 
tall  and  spare  person.  The  penetrating  eye  of 
Thalia's  favorite  soon  developed  his  character  and 
profession,  and  with  her  wonted  good  humor,  re- 
treating a  few  paces,  she  replied,  "  No,  I  won't  shake 
hands  with  you."  '  Why  ?'  u  Because  you  are  a  me- 
thodist  preacher,  and  when  you  know  who  1  am, 
you'll  send  me  to  the  devil ! — "  The  Lord  forbid  !  I 
am,  as  you  say,  a  preacher  of  the  gospel,  which  tells 


221 

may  easily  satisfy  themselves  by  applying 
to  any  one  of  the  many  volumes  published 
of  the  lives  of  theatrical  professors. 

us  to  cloth  the  naked,  feed  the  hungry,  and  relieve 
the  distressed  ;  and  do  you  think  I  can  behold  a  sis- 
ter cheer  ul!y  obeying  the  commands  of  my  great 
Master,  without  feeling  that  spiritual  attachment 
whrch  leads  me  to  break  through  worldly  customs  and 
offer  you  the  hand  of  friendship  and  brotherly  love  ! 
Well,  well,  you  are  a  good  old  soul,  I  dare  say,  but — 
a — Idont  like  fanatics;  and  you'll  not  like  me,  when 
I  tell  you  I  am  a  player ;  you  must  have  heard  of  me  ; 
Mrs.  Jordan  is  my  name. — After  a  short  pause,  he 
again  extended  his  hand,  and  with  a  complaisant 
countenance,  he  replied, — The  Lord  bless  thee,  who- 
ever thou  art ;  his  goodness  is  unlimitted  ;  he  has  be- 
stowed on  thee  a  large  portion  of  his  spirit;  and  as  to 
thy  calling,  if  thy  soul  upbraid  thee  not,  the  Lord 
forbid  that  I  should. 

Thus  reconciled,  and  the  rain  having  abated,  they 
left  the  porch  together  ;  the  offer  of  his  arm  was  ac- 
cepted, and  the  female  Roscius  of  comedy,  and  the 
melancholy  disciple  of  John  Wesley,  proceeded  arm 


222 

The  present  principal  actors  are  too  well 
known  to  require  an  eulogium :  1  shall 
only  say,  that,  collectively,  they  may  vie 
with  any  body  of  men,  for  propriety  and 
decorum  :  and  individually  they  would  not 
disgrace  any  station,  however  exalted. 

I  have  advanced  plain,  unadorned,  and 
stubborn  facts.  I  can  still  go  further,  and 
aver,  that  there  is  no  instance  on  record  of 
a  sta-e-player  suffering  a  shameful  and 
ignominious  death  !  I  am  well  aware  this 
assertion  may  provoke  the  witticisms  of  the 
witling,  the  jest  of  the  joker,  the  malig- 
nancy  of  the  method ist,  and  perhaps  the 

in  arm  to  the  door  of  Mrs.  Jordan's  dwelling.  At 
parting1  the  preacher  shook  hands  with  her,  saying, 
u  Fare  thee  well,  sister;  I  know  not  what  the  prin- 
ciples of  thy  calling  may  be,  thou  art  the  first  I  ever 
conversed  with;  but  if  their  benevolence  equals  thine, 
I  hope  and  trust,  at  the  great  day,  the  Lord  will  say  to 
each — Thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee. 


223 

contemptuous  smile  of  all.  Still,  still,  it  is 
a  glorious  superiority  !  What  other  body 
can  boast  so  immaculate  a  pre-eminence? 
Is  it — But  I  will  not  pursue  the  ungrateful 
subject,  conscious  the  stage  requires  no 
such  invidious  comparisons  to  establish 
its  noble  utility  and  purity. 

Let  the  defenders  of  method  ism  and  the 
would-be  oppressors  of  the  stage,  exercise 
their  ingenuity  and  their  indefatigable  re- 
searches, to  find,  in  the  whole  catalogue  of 
histriones,  a  parallel  for  the  preacher 
Wheatley  ;  the  unworthy  contemporary  of 
the  two  Wesleys. — A  wretch,  who,  under 
the  garb  of  religion,  exercised  the  base  arts 
of  anefarious  seducer,  upon  the  unsuspect- 
ing females  of  the  sisterhood,  to  an  ex- 
tent that  would  have  disgraced  the  most 
depraved  appetite  of  the  most  unprincipled 
debauchee,  ever  recorded  in  the  polluted 
annals  of  gallantry.     It  is  true,  his  expul- 


224 

sion  followed  his  final  detection,  but  the 
mischief  he  did  in  rhe  time  is  incalculable. 
We  may  partly  judge  of  his  depredations 
under  his  religious  disguise,  when  we  are 
informed,  that  three  years  after  he  had 
been  expelled  with  the  brand  of  infamy 
fixed  upon  him, — "  the  mayor  of  the  city 
of  Norwich,  was  employed  a  whole  day 
in  taking  the  affidavits  of  the  women 
whom  he  had  tried  to  corrupt." 

Far  be  it  from  my  wish  or  intention  to 
charge  the  vices  of  so  hase  a  monster  upon 
a  whole  body.  Yet  from  this,  and  many 
other  instances  on  record,  they  should  shew 
some  commisseration,  for  the  frailties  of 
their  fellow-creatures.  When  the  example 
of  the  early  Methorlists,  with  Messrs.  J.  and 
C.  Wesley  at  their  head,  could  not  effect 
a  reformation  in  a  man,  who,  independent 
of  their  instruction,  must,  from  his  situa- 
tion, have  been  in  a  hourly  application  to 


2-25 

the  scriptures.  How  more  than  illiberal  it 
is  in  them  to  consign  a  bod)  of  people  to 
everlasting  perdition,  because  it  cannot  feel 
their  enthusiastic  inspiration  ;  and  what  is 
more  to  the  credit  of  the  condemned  class 
— will  not  feign  it. 

I  may  express  myself  strongly — but  I 
feel — deeply  feel,  the  depression  of  an  hon- 
ourable profession,  by  the  injustice  and 
obloquy  heaped  on  it  undeservedly — and 
that  in  an  age  when  men  pride  themselves 
upon  being  unprejudiced  in  their  opinions, 
enlightened  in  their  minds,  enlarged  in 
their  ideas. 

Sincerely  do  I  regret  my  powers  and  fa- 
culties are  not  equal  to  my  feelings ;  proud- 
ly would  1  advocate  its  cause — do  justice 
to  its  merits,  and  overwhelm  its  oppressors 
with  shame  and  confusion. 


Q 


226 

If  the  outcry  against  actors  were  confin- 
ed to  the  narrow-minded,  to  the  fanatic, 
or  the  ignorant,  it  would  require  no  great 
share  of  practical  philosophy  to  endure  it; 
but  when  we  find  members  of  every  order, 
distinction  and  body,  uniting,  as  it  were,  by 
common  consent  to  depress  genius  merely 
because  it  is  theatrical,*  we  have  nothing 

*  Mr.  Evans,  in  his  "Denominations  of  the  Chris- 
tian World,"  has  omitted,  (in  his  admirable  essay,  upon 
enthusiam  and  superstition,)  enumerating  the  drama- 
tic art,  with  music,  statuary,  and  painting-,     He  says, 
"  The  poet,  the  musician,  the  painter,  and  the  statuary 
also  are  expected,  and  allowed  to  indulge  an  enthusi- 
astic ardour  in  their  professions;    and  for  this  trait  in 
their  characters,  they  are  entitled  to  commendation." 
Twelfth  Edition,  page  lxix. 
I  should  like  to  know   why  this  ingenious  author 
should  mention  the  above  arts,  and  reject  the  practi- 
cal part  of  the  drama  ? — Where  is  the  difference  ? 
Acting,  like  music,  is  an  energy  ;  painting  and  poetry 
are  arts.     The  two  former  delight  at  the  time  of  per- 
formance, the  latter  after  it  is  over. 


227 

left,  save  the  supplicating  attitude  of  the 
Negro,  encumbered  with  the  manacles  of 
prejudice, and  exclaim — "Are  we  not  your 
brethren!" 

There  is  one  class,  or  body  of  men,  loud- 
er in  their  condemnation,  and  broader  in 
their  invectives  against  the  use  of  a  stage, 
than  any  other.  I  am  almost  inclined  to 
attribute  their  attacks  to  a  sort  of  jealousy, 
proceeding  from  a  dread  of  rivalry. — But 
this  is  truly  idle  and  ridiculous ; — there  are 
customers  enough  for  both. — We  do  not 
depreciate  their  skill — we  acknowledge  their 
merits,  and  allow  them  to  be  very  good 
actors.*     Like  the  present  dramatic  world, 

*  I  am  happy  to  have  the  authority  of  Dr.  Wither- 
spooo  for  the  confirmation  of  their  skill  in  acting".  "  I 
myself,"  he  observes,  "  in  early  life,  knew  a  young 
man  of  good  talents,  who  absolutely  unfitted  himself 
for  public  speaking  by  this  practice,  [mimicry].  He 
was  educated  for  the  ministry,  and  was  in  every  res- 


228 

they  are  divided  into  equestrians  and  pe- 
destrians.— Like  us  they  study  stage  effect, 
and  are  very  attentive  to  costume.  We 
confess,  that  in  general  they  keep  up  to  the 
character  they  have  assumed  better  than 
•we  do.  Their  disguise  sits  closer — they 
seldom  betray  who,  or  what,  is  the  actor 
beneath.  Be  he  pride,  vanity,  lust,  avarice 
*— zeal,  sancitity,  fervour,  and  holiness,  con- 


pect  well  qualified  for  the  office  ;  but  having,  without 
suspicion,  frequently  amused  himself  and  others, 
by  imitating"  the  tones  and  gestures  of  the  most  emi- 
nent preachers  of  the  city  where  he  lived,  and  when 
he  began  to  preach  himself,  he  could  not  avoid  falling" 
into  one  or  other  of  those  tones  which  he  had  so  often 
mimtc'd.  This,  as  soon  as  it  was  perceived,  threw 
the  audience  iuto  a  burst  of  laughter ,  and  he  was  soon 
obliged  to  quit  the  profession  altogether,  for  no  other 
reason   than  that  he  had  thus  spoiled  himself  by  the 

talent  of  imitation." 

Dr.  Witherspoon's  Letter. 

I  beg  leave  to  designate  the  above  facetious  gentle* 
man,  the  comic  preaching  Roscius  t 


229 

ceal  him  from  the  view !  They  do  the  trick 
without  exposing  the  hand  of  the  conjuror. 
The  attention  they  pay  to  the  exterior  is 
very  commendable.* — When  you  see  one 
of  them,  you  immediately  feel  a  conviction 
of  his  being  well  habited  for  his  part,  We 
will  take  an  equestrian,  to  elucidate  their 
skill  in  dress  and  acting.  A  suit  of  black, 
or  sombre  colour — polished  boots,  without 
tops — hair  smoothly  combed,  unruffled  as 
his  mind — a  gravity  of  deportment — a  sleek 
horse,  dark  and  pampered  like  its  rider, — 
an  empty  saddle-bag,  an  inuendo  of  its 
master's  poverty,  and  emblematical  of  the 
owners  brains.  With  slow,  deliberate  pace 
he  moves  his  horse  into  the  town ;  the  news 
of  the  good  man's  arrival  is  therefore  con- 


*  Even  so  ye  also  outwardly  appeared  righteous 
unto  men,  but  within,  ye  are  full  of  hypocrisy  and  ini- 
quity. 

Matthew  c.  xxiii.  ?.  2$. 


230 

veyed  to  the  place  of  his  destination,  time 
enough  for  his  host  to  receive  him  at  the 
door  with  as  much  humility  as  a  Francis- 
can friar  would  a  cardinal.  He  is  conduct- 
ed to  the  best  bed  room,  given  the  seat  of 
pre-eminence,  lives  upon  the  choicest 
viands,  reposes  upon  the  softest  bed.  When 
conducted  to  his  theatre,  he  receives  the 
sighing  approbation,  and  groaning  acquies- 
cence of  all  his  auditors.  He  doles  them 
out  a  long-winded  speech,  in  the  form  of  an 
extempore  prayer,  in  which  he  too  often 
forgets  the  reverence  and  awe  due  to  the 
sacred  cause  of  that  Being  whose  servant 
he  has  the  presumption  to  call  himself. 
He  extols  the  humility,  poverty  and  suffer- 
ings of  the  early  supporters  and  promulga- 
tors of  the  christian  faith — but  he  keeps  his 
horse!  He  talks  of  primitive  times,  primi- 
tive men,  and  primitive  manners — but  he 
keeps  his  horse:  He  expatiates  upon  chari- 
ty, and  his  saddle-bags  are  remembered !  If 


231 

his  rivals,  the  comedians,  should  he  in  town 
—a  spider  to  a  fly — a  ferret  to  a  rat — can- 
not be  a  more  determined  enemy.  He  ful- 
minates them  with  brimstone;  roasts  them 
with  fire;  consigns  them  to  the  lowes*  pit 
of  perdition*,  and  receives  the  sanction  of 

*  "  At  the  theatre,  when  all  is  sunk  in  haughty  for- 
ge tfuln  ess  of  God ;  after  the  proud  have  once  more 
displayed  their  brilliancy,  and  set  their  heart  as  the 
heart  of  God;  after  the  eyes  of  vanity  have  for  the 
last  time,  feasted  themselves;  after  the  tears  which 
real  guilt  and  misery  demanded  have  been  wasted  on 
fictitious  crimes  and  calamities,  and  the  whole  croud 
have  been  shaken  with  the  madness  of  laughter;  af- 
ter profaneness  hath  unfurled  its  flag  of  defiance,  with 
hell-bred  gallantry  setting  at  nought  the  name  of  the 
Most  High,  the  tremendous  operations  of  Providence, 
and  terrors  of  the  bottomless  pit ;  after  obscenity  hath 
swallowed  down  its  morsel  of  elegant  filthiness ;  let  a 
celestial  spirit  shine  forth,  eclipsing  the  luminaries  of 
the  place,  (i.  e.  the  lamps  and  candles)  and  scattering 
round  those  terrors  which  were  once  fell  at  the  se- 
pulchre of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  ;  and  in  such  strains  as 
these,  let  his  voice  announce  the  hastening  doom:  — 


S32 

his  christian  followers!  He  performs  his 
limited  engagement,  and  then  proceeds  to 

Worms  of  the  dust,  enemies  of  the  eternal  God  !  .you 
have  long  been  the  abhorrence  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Heaven  ;  you  have  disdained  to  seek  Jesus,  who  was 
crucified ;  the  divine  sorrows,  the  pure  delights,  which 
his  spirit  creates  in  repenting  souls  you  have  rejected — 
you  have  treated  with  derision ;  now  the  day  of  your 
visitation  expires.  I  swear  by  him  that  liveth  for 
ever  and  ever,  you  shall  have  time  no  longer  !  Then 
let  trembling  rock  the  ground ;  let  the  fabric  and  its 
miserable  assembly  roll  down  the  opening  chasm,  and 
let  the  crowd  of  dislodged  spirits  behold  the  majestic 
unveiled  flaming  countenance  of  their  judge !  would 
such  vengeance  be  too  severe.  Let  us  not  presume  to 
say  it  would." 

From  a  Sermon  preached  by  a  Mr.  Love>  in 
Artillery-lane  London. 

If  this  terrific  minister  of  wrath  be  a  specimen  of 
Mr.  Love's  angels ;  what  are  we  to  expect  from  his 
devils?  Hundreds  of  souls  to  be  suddenly  immersed 
in  the  liquid  fire,  for  participating  in  what  they  con- 
ceive an  innocent  amusement,  and  we  are  not  to  call 
it  a  severe  punishment!    I  would  recommend  Mr. 


233 


the  next  place  appointed  by  his  managers, 
and,  repetatur  haustus  !    Boils  and  ebulii- 


Love— an  unfortunate  name,  for  one  composed  of 
hatred  and  all  uncharitableness— to  peruse,  with  at- 
tention, the  death  of  Stephen,  and  strive  to  gain  some 
of  the  genuine  fine  traits  of  pure  Christianity.  "  And 
they  stoned  Stephen,calling  upon  God,and  saying  Lord 
Jesus  receive  my  spirit.  And  he  kneeled  down,  and 
cried  with  a  loud  voice,  Lord,  lay  not  this  sin  to  their 
charge."  Acts  vii.  59,  60. 

But  why  dost  thou  judge  thy  brother?  or  why  dost 
thou  set  at  nought  thy  brother  ?  For  we  shall  all 
stand  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ.  Rom.  xiv. 
10.  But  if  ye  do  not  forgive,  neither  will  your  father 
which  is  in  heaven  forgive  your  trespasses.  Mark 
xi.  26.  Thou  hypocrite,  first  cast  out  the  beam  out 
of  thine  own  eye.    Matt.  vii.  5. 

Ye  know  not  what  manner  of  spirit  ye  are  of, 

Ye  judge  after  the  flesh  ;  I  judge  no  man. 

John  vii.  15. 

But  1  say  unto  you  which  hear,  love  your  enemies ; 
do  good  to  them  which  hate  you.  Bless  them  that 
curse  you  and  pray  for  them  which  despitefully  use 
you.  Luke  vi.  27,  28. 


234 

tions  of  a  sound  constitution!  O  Religion! 
thou  only  pure  good  on  earth!  "Bairn  of 
hurt  minds!"  "Chief  nourisher  in  life's 
feast!"  How  is  thy  name  degraded?  What 
imposters,  what  cheats  assume  thy  livery  ! 
who, 

"  Play  such  fantastic  tricks  before  high  Heaven, 
"  As  make  the  angels  weep." 

"When  will  the  unbeliever  learn  the  na- 
ture of  true  religion  from  Jesus  Christ  him- 
self, and  not  from  those  of  his  pretended 
disciples,  who  retain  little  or  none  of  the 
lineaments  of  the  divine  original." 

Having  attempted  a  sketch  of  an  eques- 
trian saint  hi  one  theatre,  I  will  now  try  my 
skill  at  an  out-line  of  a  pedestrian  sinner 
in  the  other.  And  I  think  our  wonder  will 
be  excited — not  that  there  are  so  many 
vicious — but,  that  so  many  should  escape 
from  the  pollution  oi  habits  engendered  by 


235 

poverty  and  contempt.     A  young  man  is 
enticed  by  indolence,    thoughtlessm  ss,  or 
vivacity,  to  embrace  a  profession,  in  the  art 
or  mystery  of  which  he  is  completely  igno- 
rant.    The  sinner,  like  the  saint  experiences 
a  call,  mistaking  intoxication  for  inspir- 
ation— and  enthusiasm  for  vigour  and  ca- 
pacity.    He  has  beheld  the  stage  heroes  and 
heroines  of  his  youthful  recoiiection  through 
the  most  flattering  medium,  crowned  with 
praise,  approbation  and  appiause.     He  par- 
ticipates in  the  pleasure — repeats  a  speech 
— learns  a  part  by   rote — spouts  awav    to 
himself  and  a  few  chosen  associates — they 
extol  his  skill — his  former  Thespian  idols 
sink  far  beneath  his  own  ideal  excellence- 
he  feels  himself  their  superior — the  chair  of 
Roscius   appears  within    his  grasp.      His 
vanity  thus  inflamed,  with  all  the  impetu- 
osity incident  to  youth,  he  enrols  himself 
under  the   standard  of    the  first  itinerant 
manager  who  will  receive  turn.    He  soon 


236 

feels  a  sensible  difference!  The  board  of 
plenty  is  changed  for  that  of  indigence.  He 
finds  no  suppliant  host  to  greet  his  efforts 
with  welcome  and  approbation!  He  finds 
no  cheerful  fire  side — no  gentle  courtesies 
to  sooth  his  irritated  mind!  The  town 
from  which  he  had  anticipated  fame,  re- 
nown, and  ail  that  folly  could  infuse  into  the 
brains  of  sanguine  boyhood,  is  as  indifferent 
to  the  public  claims  as  it  is  careless  about 
his  private  wants!  He  finds  himself  an 
isolated  being  in  the  midst  of  bustle — neg- 
lected— shunned — pointed  at  by  scorn's 
slow  unmoving  finger!  Banished  from  all 
respectable  society* — avoided  like  a  pesti- 

*  If  I  permitted  this  passage  to  escape  without  a 
comment,  I  should  expect  (and  richly  merit)  the  re- 
proach of  many  dear  and  valued  friends.  I  therefore 
confess,  with  an  indiscribable  satisfaction,  that  1  have 
met,  in  the  course  of  my  theatrical  progress,  with 
courtesies,  hospitality  and  liberality  never  to  be  forgot- 
ten, but  tenaciously  cherished  with  the  fondest  records 


237 

lence! — his  pride  takes  the  alarm;  he 
wishes  to  retreat — infatuation  still  prevails 
— and  he  quiescently  submits  to  the  oppro- 
brious name  of  player,  with  every  disgrace- 
ful epithet  which  illiberality  and  ignorance 
can  bestow.  If  this  should  present  itself  to 
the  sight  of  one,  attracted  by  the  glare  of  the 
stage,  to  him  I  will  say , "  young  and  thought- 
less adventurer,  if  sensibility  makes  any  part 
of  your  composition,  be  content  with  your 


of  my  happiest  moments.  York,  Hull,  Doncaster, 
Sheffield,  Huddersfield,  Horncastle  and  Birminri'Hm 
will  ever  furnish  me  with  the  recollection  of  individual 
kindness,  as  flattering  and  as  consolatory  as  the 
receiving"  of  obligations  without  the  power  of  a  return 
can  possibly  be.  Dublin,  Waterford,  Carrick-on  Suir, 
and  Youghal,  have  the  same  demands  upon  my 
gratitude.  With  great  sincerity  of  heart,  I  acknow- 
ledge them,  and  deeply  deplore  this  acknowledgment 
is  the  only  remuneration  1  can  offer  to  evince  the 
warm  remembrance  of  the  many  civilities  bestowed 
upon  a  stranger  and  a  wanderer. 


238 

present  station  ;  regret  not  how  humble, 
reflect  not  how  irksome!  The  prodigal, 
when  reduced  to  the  state  of  a  swine-herd, 
was  not  more  an  object  of  sympathy  than 
the  curse  of  feeling  and  susceptibility  uni- 
ted in  the  wayward  lot  of  an  itinerant 
player  !" 

This  is  not  an  over-charged  picture — 
too  many  have  sat  for  the  likeness!  Some 
few  are  at  this  instant  in  London,  receiving 
the  reward  of  their  industry,  suffering  and 
talent,  by  a  liberal  salary,  and  the  counte- 
nance of  genius  rank  and  literature — living 
instances  that  the  stage  (even  in  the  present 
state,)  so  far  from  debasing  the  mind  of  the 
professor — expands — invigorates  it,  and 
enables  the  actor  to  triumph  over  the  diffi- 
culties and  impediments  thrown  in  his  wTay 
by  the  selfish  and  narrow-minded.  I  am 
aware  of  a  seeming  contradiction  in  at- 
tempting to  dissuade  young  adventurers,  at 
the  same  time  I  am  producing  instances  of 


230 

success.  But  there  is  defeat  as  well  as  vic- 
tory in  the  contest;  and  it  is  a  struggle 
against  fearful  odds ! 

Nothing  can  more  fully  prove  the  ab- 
surdity of  the  prejudice  against  actors,  than 
the  treatment  they  experience  as  professors 
and  men.  The  player,  exercising  his  de- 
lightful art,  sooths  and  enchants  the  beings 
who  (when  out  of  his  fascinating  sphere) 
combine  to  worry  and  torment  him.  He 
moves  them  to  tears ;  excites  them  to  laugh- 
ter, at  his  pleasure;  they  applaud  him  to 
the  skies — approve  his  skill — admire  his 
art !  The  next  day  they  avoid,  despise, 
contemn  him,  and  all  without  any  inves- 
tigation of  his  mind,  principles,  or  manners. 
He  is  a  player; — that  one  word*  withers 

*  I  frequently  compare  the  estimation  we  are  held 
in  by  a  large  proportion  of  this  our  thinking  nation, 
with  the  condition  of  the  unfortunate  dogs  upon  the 
whipping  day  in  York.  This  amiable  ceremony  ori- 
ginated during  the  enlightened  days  of  our  ancestors, 


240 

the  culture  of  his  mind,  depraves  his  prin- 
ciples, corrupts  his  maimers,  and  condemns 
him  as  an  outcast ! 

To  make  my  cabinet  of  portraits  com- 
plete, I  think  it  but  my   duty  to  present  a 

when  an  ill-starM,  half  starved,  hungry  dog  thought 
proper  to  run  away  with  the  pix  from  a  priest  officia- 
ting at  mass.  The  fate  of  the  culprit  may  easily  be 
conceived.  But  to  perpetuate  the  enormity  of  his 
crime,  upon  the  anniversary  of  that  dreadful  day^ 
Ebor's  canine  race  suffer  severely,  if  they  have  the 
temerity  to  show  their  noses  in  the  public  streets.  At 
first,  the  punishment  was  inflicted  not  only  by  the 
priests,  but  we  may  presume  by  nearly  the  whole  po- 
pulation of  the  city. 

However,  time  (that  will  conquer  most  customs  not 
secured  upon  the  basis  of  rational  principle)  relaxed 
the  rigour  of  the  discipline,  and  it  has  now  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  the  junior  merciful  part  of  mankind. 

Just  so,  the  offences  of  the  earlier  stage  fall  upon  us, 
and  though  ihe  full  grown  enlightened  mind  despises 
such    ridiculous   prejudices — the  boys  in  intellect 


241 

minature  likeness  of  a  pedestrian  actor 
in  our  rival  theatre.  I  likewise  present  it 
as  a  specimen  of  an  intended  work  I  pur- 
pose, at  a  future  period,  laying  before  the 
public,  entitled  "  The  genuine  lives  of  se- 
veral Of  OUr  ERATIC    PREACHERS." 

Spiritual  magazines,  and  evangelical 
productions  of  the  same  sprightly  nature, 
I  find  to  be  in  high  repute  with  the  serious 
and  elect.  Therefore,  to  amuse  the  lambs 
of  grace,  and  give  my  trifling  aid  to  the 
great  work  of  regeneration,  I  will  com- 
mence biographer*.     My  first  subject  will 

pursue  us  still,  and,  like  the  dogs  in  York,  we  are 
most  unmercifully  castigated  by  the  untoward  ur- 
chins ;  still  the  comparison  is  in  favour  of  the  dogs — 
they  are  flogged  but  one  day,  we  are  in  a  state  of 
punishment  all  the  year  round. 

*  As  many  of  my  readers  may  imagine  T  have  an 
intolerable  share  of  vanity  in  thinking  myself  compe- 

R 


242 

be"  The  wonderful  conversion  of  Jeremiah 
Muggins,  S.  S."  Jeremiah  Muggins  is  de- 
scended from  poor,  but  industrious,  honest 
parents.  Education  he  had  none,  Sunday 
schools  not  being  then  established  : — Jere- 

tent  to  the  delicate  task  of  delineating  lives  devoted 
to  such  high  purposes ;  I  will  favour  them  with  an 
extract  from  these  sacred  repositories  for  all  good 
things,  and  then  leave  it  to  their  decision  how  far  I 
am  qualified  for  my  intended  office.  "  Mr.  Kilham," 
(the  founder  of  the  Kilhamites,  seceders  from  the 
old  connexion,  giving  an  account  of  himself—  for  these 
saints  very  commonly  compose  their  own  legends) 
says,  "  When  1  was  about  four  years  old,  1  was  taken 
by  my  parents  to  hear  preaching,  which  caused  me  to 
be  troubled  for  a  season,  but  my  heart  being  so  deceit- 
ful, (at  four  years  old)  I  soon  forgot  what  I  had 
heard.  I  lived  from  my  fifth  to  my  twelfth  or  thirteenth 
year  under  many  divine  impressions  !" 

Methodist  Magazine,  March,  1799.    • 

This  Mr.  Kilham  dying  in  the  prime  of  life,  ra- 
ther suddenly,  many  of  the  christian  supporters  of  the 
old  connexion,  did  not  hesitate  in  pronouncing  it  a 
punishment  from  God,  for  his  secession. 


243 

my  had  no  other  advantage  than  what  let- 
tered ginger- bread,  or  the  common  horn- 
book could  afford  him.  His  father,  being 
what  the  profane  termed  a  Muggletonian, 
endeavoured  to  implant  in  Jerry's  early 
mind  the  seeds  of  grace,  but  Satan  scat- 
tered them  abroad  like  chaff,  and  weeds 
and  thistles  marked  the  desolation  of  his 
soul.  Nothing  gave  him  delight,  save  bal- 
lad-singing, cock-fighting,  badger-huuting, 
bull-baiting,  wrestling, cudgeling, drinking, 
boxing,  wenching.  But  what  made  his  sin- 
ful course  appear  more  desperate,  was,  the 
strong  inclination  he  had  for  visiting  the 
play-house  ! — That  tabernacle  of  the  De- 
vil !_The  pit  of  Hell !— Boxes  for  the 
train  of  Lucifer!  Galleries  for  the  high 
throne  of  Satan  ! — The  castle  of  Belzebub ! 
— The  high  road  to  destruction  ! — The  sink 
of  all  filth  and  unrighteousness! — A  gar- 
nished sepulchre! — The  Devil's  church 
and  temple! — Satanical  fables! — Diaboli- 


244 

cal  mysteries !— Hellish  conventicles ! — An 
Apprenticeship  of  sin  !  A  trade  of  wicked- 
ness which  leads  to  Hell ! — The  Devil's 
solemnities,  or  pomps! — Mammon's  vine- 
yard, where  Satan's  labourers  work  for  the 
wages  of  sin  and  iniquity  ' — The  toy-shop 
of  vanity,  supported  by  the  Devil's  buf- 
foons !  Roisters,  brawlers,  ill-dealers,  boas- 
ters stallions,  ruffians*  ! ! ! 

Unhappy  Jerry !  what  a  perilous  place 
for  thy  poor  miserable  sin-drenched  soul ! 
However,  the  day  of  conversion  was  at  hand, 
and  the  way  of  faith  and  the  instantaneous 
operation  of  the  spirit,  to  be  made  manifold 
by  the  after  aid  of  this  abandoned  sinner. 

*  Far  be  it  from  my  wish,  to  receive  approbation  at 
the  expense  of  another.  I  must  therefore  inform  my 
reader  that  I  cannot  lay  claim  to  the  invention  of  one 
of  those  elegant  and  ingenious  epithets  :  I  have  bor- 
rowed them  from  different  liberal  publications  1  have 
had  the  great  satisfaction  of  perusing. 


245 

In  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1780,  Mr.  Wes- 
ley held  forth  in  the  town  of  C giving 

manna  to  the  starved,  and  balm  to  the 
thirsty  !  Jeremiah  was  tempted  by  a  wicked 
and  a  mischievous  curiosity  to  attend  the 
good  man.  Happy  moment!  Wonderful 
conversion  !  The  scales  dropped  from  his 
eyes !  He  roared  aloud  for  help  !  In  less 
than  a  week  the  work  of  regeneration  was 
accomplished — in  less  than  a  fortnight  he 
exhorted — in  less  than  a  month  he  was  a 
preacher  with  many  followers !  ! ! 

And  as  it  is  awfully  curious  to  observe 
the  conflicts  of  the  flesh  and  the  devil 
against  the  inward  workings  of  the  new 
man,  it  is  no  less  satisfactory  to  record 
their  progress.  Jerry's  lips  were  first  touch- 
ed with  the  words  of  wisdom  in  presence 
of  several  of  the  brethren  at  a  class  meet- 
ing held  at  the  house  of  John  Grouse,  the 
unworthy  writer  of  this.  Jeremiah  suddenly 


246 

stood  on  his  feet — be   looked  wildly — we 
were  all  troubled,  fearing  a   backsliding; 
but  we  were  graciously  relieved  from  our 
suspense,  by  Jerry's  exclaiming,   "  It  has 
pleased  the  Lord  to  build  a  few  houses  o' 
top  o'  Meadow  Bank! — Praise  to  the  Lord  ! 
Let  each  house  become  a  tabernacle  to  the 
Lord,  and  have  a  Halter  therein,  for  the 
use  of  the  brethren.     Amen!  Amen!"     I 
give  his  own  unsophisticated  language  to 
encourage  those,  who,  strong  with  the  Spi- 
rit, are  yet  deterred  from  utterance  through 
gnorance  of  their  own  vernacular  tongue. 

If  thou  feel  thou  hast  a  call,  never  re- 
gret thy  want  of  education — the  operation 
of  the  spirit  is  great !  Heed  not  thy  trade, 
thy  family ;  there  will  be  souls  when  there 
will  not  be  shoes  !  The  time  will  come 
when  nakednt  ss  will  not  be  an  abomination, 
and  the  garb  of  the  elect  will  avail  thee 
more  than  breeches,  though  they  be  made — 
of  leather  ! 


247 

The  first  text  Jerry  held  forth  on,  was 
from 2  Kings  iv.  38.  "  Set  on  the  gnat 
pot."  The  next,  "  Two  legs  and  a  piece 
of  an  ear." 

(To  be  continued. J 

In  the  foregoing  specimen,  I  have  not 
availed  myself  of  the  particular  providences 
always  attending  this  peculiarly  happy  class 
of  men,  inspired  in  their  minds,  invulnera- 
ble in  their  bodies.  Be  they  opposed  by 
learning  and  philosophy?  The  operations 
of  the  spirit  enable  them  immediately  to 
confound  and  overwhelm  their  opponents. 
A  re  they  attacked  by  a  rabble  ?  They  re- 
ceive no  injury. 

Mr.  John  Wesley,  independent  of  his 
escape  from  tire,  in  his  infancy,  was  ever 
remarkable  for  the  astonishing  interposi- 
tion of  an  invisible  power  in  his  behalf. 
Mr.  Nightingale,  in  his  "  Portraiture  of 


24S 

Methodism,"  furnishes  us  with  some  very 
wonderful  instances  from  a  publication  of 
Mr.  Wesley's,  printed  about  the  year  1745, 
giving  an  account  of  several  violent  pro- 
ceedings against  the  Methodists,  particu- 
larly in  1744,  at  Wednesbury.  The  reve- 
rend Armenian  father  makes  the  following 
observations  upon  his  dangers  and  difficul- 
ties in  this  business. 

"I  never  saw  such  a  chain  of  providences 
before,  so  many  convincing  proofs  that  the 
hand  of  God  is  on  every  person,  and  thing, 
overruling  him  as  it  seemeth  good.  Among 
these  I  cannot  but  reckon  the  circumstances 
that  follow : 

1st.  "  That  they  endeavoured,  abundance 
of  times,  to  trip  me  up,  as  we  went  down  hill, 
over  the  wet  slippery  grass  to  the  town  ;  as 
well  judging  that  if  I  was  once  on  the 
ground,  I  should  hardly  rise  again  ;  but   I 


249 

made  no  slip,  nor  the  least  stumble  at  all, 
till  I  was  entirely  out  of  their  hauds." 

2d.  "  That  though  many  strove  to  lay 
hold  on  my  collar,  or  cloaths,  they  could 
not  fasten  at  all ;  their  fingers,  I  cannot  tell 
how,  slipping  along  without  fixing  once  ; 
only,  one  man  seized  the  flap  of  my  waist- 
coat and  took  it  away  with  him:  the  other 
flap,  in  the  pocket  of  which  was  a  twenty 
pound  note,  was  torn  but  half  off." — 
(Money,  that  filthy  mammon,  becomes  sa- 
cred in  their  possession  ! — Wonderful ! 
wonderful !  most  wonderful ! !) 

3d.  "  That  a  lusty  man,  just  behind, 
struck  at  me  with  a  large  oaken  stick,  with 
which  if  he  had  struck  me  in  the  back  of 
the  head,  I  should  probably  have  preached 
no  more  ,  but  every  time  the  blow  was 
turned  aside,  I  know  not  how,  for  I  could 
not  move  to  the  right  hand  or  the  left." 


250 

4th.  "  That  another  man  came  rushing 
through  the  press,  raised  his  arm  to  strike, 
let  it  sink  again,  and  stroking  my  head  said, 
'  What  soft  hair  he  has  !  I  cannot  find  in 
my  heart  to  hurt  him,  &c.  &c.'  The  cry  of 
most  was, '  Away  with  him,  away  with  him ;' 
of  others,  'Kill  him  at  once:'  But  none 
so  much  as  once  mentioned  how,  only  one 
or  two  (I  almost  tremble  to  relate  it) 
screamed  out  (with  what  meaning  I  cannot 
tell)  crucify  the  dog-  crucify  him*.' 
Two  years  since,  one  threw  at  me  a  piece  of 

*  Much  to  the  credit  of  Mr.  Wesley's  reputation, 
Dr.  Coke  and  Mr.  Moore  have  omitted  this  singular 
passage  in  their  history  of  this  extraordinary,  and  I  wil 
add,  great  man.  It  gave  me  no  small  degree  of  sur- 
prise, as  well  as  pleasure,  to  find  so  many  quotations 
from  our  divine  dramatic  bard,  interspersed  through 
the  above  gentlemen's  work.  To  which  of  them  we 
are  indebted  for  this  proof  of  taste,  it  is  beyond  my 
power  to  ascertain.  But  it  would  be  curious  to  hear 
their  justification  for  borrowing  from  that  which  they 
mark  with  infamy. 


251 

brick,  which  grazed  on  my  shoulder,  but 
hurt  me  not.  It  was  a  year  after,  that  ano- 
ther threw  a  stone,  which  struck  me  be- 
tween the  eyes,  but  the  hurt  was  soon 
healed,  and  still  no  man  had  power  to  lay 
a  hand  upon  me." 

"  At  St.  Ives,  last  month,  I  received  one 
blow,  the  first  I  ever  had,  on  the  side  of 
the  head,  and  this  night  two,  one  before  we 
came  into  the  town,  and  one  after  I  was  going 
out  into  the  meadows.  But  though  one 
man  struck  me  on  the  breast  with  all  his 
might,  and  the  other  on  the  mouth,  so  that 
the  blood  gushed  out ;  I  felt  no  more  pain 
from  either  of  the  blows  than  if  they  had 
touched  me  with  a  straw  ! !  !" 

Portraiture  of  Methodism,  page  159, 

Perhaps,  as  "  the  Devil  can  quote  scii  >ture  to  suit 
his  purpose,"  the  saints  have  an  equal  privilege,  and 
can  cite  passages  from  those  books  they  declare  de- 
dicated to  the  use  of  his  temple  and  worship. 


252 

But  it  is  not  to  Mr.  Wesley  alone,  these 
providential  interpositions  have  been  shewn. 
All  the  preachers  have  participated  in  the 
same  invisible  care,  nor  are  they  confined 
to  his  sect ;  they  not  only  protected  one  of 
his  rivals,  the  late  reverend  Mr.  Hunting- 
don, but  furnished  him  with  food,  raiment, 
money,  chapel,  wife,  coach,  horses,  farm 
— in  short,  every  thing  desirable  in  life 
down  to  the  most  trifling  articles.  Atbuild- 
ing  his  new  tabernacle,  which  he  called 
"  Providence  Chapel,"  the  people,  he  says, 
first  offered  11/.  and  laid  it  on  the  foun- 
dation at  the  beginning  of  the  building." 

"A  good  gentleman,  with  whom  I  had  but 
little  acquaintance,  and  of  whom  I  bought 
a  load  of  timber,  sent  it  in  with  a  bill  and 
receipt  in  full,  as  a  present  to  the  Chapel 
of  Providence.  Another  good  man  came 
with  tears  in  his  eyes,  and  blessed  me,  and 
desired  to  paint  my  pulpit,  desk,  &c.  as  a 


253 

present  to  the  Chapel.  Another  person 
gave  half  a  dozen  chairs  for  the  vestry ; 
and  my  friends  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lyons  fur- 
nished me  with  a  tea  chest,  well  stored,  and 
a  set  of  china.  My  good  friends,  Mr  and 
Mrs.  Smith,  furnished  me  with  a  very  hand- 
some bed,  bedstead,  and  all  its  furniture 
and  necessaries,  that  I  might  not  be  under 
the  necessity  of  walking  home  in  the  cold 
winter  nights,"  O  indulgence,  and  luxury, 
what  changes  do  ye  work  in  your  votaries  ! 
An  errand  boy,  a  daily  labourer,  and  a 
cobler,  shrinking  with  apprehension  from 
the  "  winter's  flaw."  O  age  of  wonders  ! 
blunders!  and  absurdities!  "  A  daughter 
of  mine  in  the  faith  gave  me — a  looking- 
glass  for  my  chapel  study."  Unless  the 
good  Mr.  Huntingdon  meant  to  joke  with 
us,  the  name  of  this  daughter  must  cer- 
tainly have  been  Vanity  !  Probably  there 
may  be  some  latent  mystic  meaning,  under 
the  term  looking  glass  ;  perhaps  he  did  not 


254 

absolutely  mean  bona  fide  a  mirror.  But 
we  will  leave  the  investigation  of  it  to  his 
enlightened  followers,  and  all  other  able 
interpreters  of  obscure  texts. 

"  Another  friend  gave  me  my  pulpit 
cushion  and  a  book  case  for  my  study.  Ano- 
ther gave  me  a  book-case  for  my  vestry ; 
and  my  good  friend  Mr.  E.  seemed  to  level 
all  his  displeasure  at  the  devil,  for  he  was 
in  hopes  1  should  be  enabled,  through  the 
gracious  arm  of  the  Lord,  to  cut  Rahab 
in  pieces;  therefore  he  furnished  me  with 
the  sword  of  the  spirit — a  new  Bible,  with 
morocco  binding  and  silver  clasps" 

Of  what  possible  service  this  finery 
could  be  in  his  attack  upon  Rahab,  I  can- 
not imagine.  They  are  always  telling  us, 
the  devil  is  too  fond  of  splendour,  to  shrink 
from  it.  The  gifts  I  have  selected  from 
the  eleemosynary  catalogue,  furnished  by 


255 

the  coal-heaving  prophet,  form  but  a  very 
small  part  of  the  tribute  paid  by  Credulity 
at  the  altar  of  Imposition.  He  had  a 
"  Bank  of  Faith"  to  draw  upon,  and 
he  was  by  no  means  delicate  or  penurious 
in  his  applications. 

Most  of  the  Methodist  preachers  are 
ambitious  to  encounter  occasions  for  the 
exhibition  of  these  singular  providences 
in  their  favour.  One  known  in  the  North 
of  England  by  the  name  of  the  preaching 
buckle-maker,  says,  "  This  day  a  stone 
hit  me  on  my  head,  but  not  to  do  me  any 
material  hurt ;  and  my  Saviour  comforted 
me.  This  was  the  only  time  that  I  was 
ever  hit,  though  I  have  been  where  showers 
of  rotten  eggs,  and  other  things  have  been 
thrown  at  me.  I  have  reason  indeed  to 
be  thankful  that  none  was  ever  permitted  to 
touch  me,  save  this  one  stone.  Was  thy 
servant  Stephen  stoned  to  death,  and  must 


256 

I,  t  hy  poor  unworthy  servant,  less  than  the 
un worthiest  of  ail,  have  but  one  stone ! ! !" 

Mr.  Wesley  says,  "  The  Methodists 
alone"  (that  is,  they  are  the  only  body  of 
people  who  can  boast  this  extensive  libe- 
rality) "  do  hot  insist  on  your  holding  this 
or  that  opinion,  but  they  think  and  let 
think." 

Thinks- I-to-my  self,  they  are  most  woe- 
fully fallen  off  from  this  highlv  advantage- 
ous position.  Without  entering  into  the 
intolerant  notions  they  entertain  of  every 
other  sect,  look  at  the  history  of  their  own 
divisions — Iheir  bickerings — their  squab- 
bles— and  their  schisius.  Read  the  differ- 
ent  pamphlets  composed  during  the  con- 
tention between  the  societies  and  the  con- 
ference^— look  at  the  proceedings  of  the 
whole  affair  up  to  the  expulsion  of  Mr. 
Kiiham — let  them  separately  examine  their 


257 

mortal  antipathy  to  each  other,  and  then 
let  them  expatiate  on  liberality,  freedom 
of  opinion,  brotherly  love,  charity — in 
short,  let  them  avow,  if  they  dare,  what- 
ever    THEY     MAY    THINK,    that  they    LET 

think.  Practical  observation,  after  all, 
is  a  sure  touch-stone;  let  us  apply  it  in 
the  present  instance.  Let  each  man  pos- 
sessing the  smallest  degree  of  penetration, 
observe  the  people  designating  themselves 
Methodists.  What  is  their  great  and  won- 
derful superiority?  Are  they  strictly  at- 
tentive to  the  relative  duties  which  should 
bind  us  more  closely  to  each  other  ?  Do 
we  not  on  the  contrary  (generally  speaking) 
find  them  selfish,  gloomy,  and  unsocial? 
Dead  to  the  wants  of  those  around  them — 
alive  only  to  their  own  little,  narrow,  dirty 
interests. 

How  are  they  in  trade  ?  Are  they  more 
liberal  in  their  modes  of  dealing  ?  Are 
they  more  strict  in  their  word,  or  less  anx- 

<2 


258 

ious  at  over-reaching  in  a  bargain,  that* 
their  fellow  creatures  ?  Where  is  the  great 
advantage  they  have  gained  ?  In  what  is 
it  evinced  ?  The  natural  attendants  up  n 
a  clear  and  good  conscience,  are  cheerful- 
ness of  manner,  a  suavity  of  temper,  and 
a  general  love  for  the  whole  creation  !  Do 
they  possess  any  of  these  signs  ?  Look  at 
them  !  After  having  felt  the  sacred  call — 
after  having  received  the  precious  assur- 
ance of  God's  particular  regard — does  not 
that  make  them  more  cheerful? — No. — 
And  if  their  "  inward  man"  be  really  fed 
by  hidden  manna,  it  must  be  of  a  very- 
sour  and  nauseous  nature,  to  make  such  an 
impression  upon  the  features  of  the  out- 
ward and  visible  man. 

Are  they  more  rational  in  their  domes- 
ticated amusements  than  their  frail  bro- 
thers and  sisters  in  the  flesh? — Amuse- 
ments!— Yes,  amusements, — Believe  me, 


259 

it  is  the  intention  of  an  all-wise  God,  that 
man  should   participate  in  joy  as  well  as 
grief;  mirth  as  well  as  sorrow,  relaxation 
as  well  as  employment.     Let  the  mind   be 
wholly  absorbed  by  sorrow,  or  engrossed 
by  pleasure; — in  the  one  instance  it   inca- 
pacitates the  owner  for  any  other  situation 
than  that  of  a  candidate   for  Bedlam,  and 
in  the  other,  degrades  him    into  a  sensual 
reptile,  who  will  sink  into  an  early  grave 
enervated  and  despised.  I  will  not  attempt 
to  insinuate  that  this   pious  class   are  sen- 
sualists ;  on  the  contrary,  the  general  weak- 
ness of  their  intellect  is   too  apt   to   take 
another  bias  : — however,  they  are  not  with- 
out their  amusements.     In  fact,  with  the 
visionaries  of  the  sect,  their  whole  pursuit 
is    amusement,    from    their    five    o'clock 
prayer  in  the  morning,  until  their  depreca- 
tory orison  at  night. 

But  they  have  watch-nights,  love-feasts, 


260 

hymns,  bibliomancy,  sacred  lottery,  witch- 
stories,  ghost  tales,  and  religious  scandal. 

For  the  particulars  of  the  watch-nights 
and  love-feasts,  &c.  &c.  I  refer  the  in- 
quisitive reader  to  Mr.  Nightingale's  Por- 
traiture of  Methodism.  Bibliomancy,  or 
divination  by  the  Bible,  (the  sortes  virgili- 
anae  of  the  Romans)  though  practised  as  an 
amusement  by  the  fair  sisterhood,  is  fre- 
quently the  sole  guidance  of  the  leaders 
and    preacheis*.     The  sacred    lottery   is 


*  "I  continued  thus  to  seek  it  (though  with  strange 
indifference,  dullness,  and  coldness,  and  unusually 
frequent  relapses  into  sin)  till  Wednesday,  May  24th. 
I  think  it  was  about  five  this  morning,  I  opened  my 
Testament  on  those  words,  There  are  given  unto  us 
exceeding  great  and  precious  promises,  that  by  these 
ye  might  be  partakers  of  the  divine  nature."  2  Peter  i. 
4.  "  Just  as  I  went  out,  I  opened  it  again  on  these 
words,  Thou  art  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God.® 

Coke  and  Moore's  Life  of  Wesley,  p.  158,. 


261 

drawn  by  means  of  printed  cards,  contain- 
ing texts  of  a  cheerful  and  enlivening  na- 
ture, and  when  a  sister  draws  one,  she 
purchases,  cheaply,  momentary  satisfac- 
tion. 

Did  they  stop  here,  who  could  con- 
demn them  ?  Who  but  would  pity  them, 
for  depriving  themselves  of  so  many  sources 
of  rational  amusement  to  fritter  away  life 
in  religious  trifling*  ?     But  here  they  do 

Mr.  Wesley  having"  sanctioned  divination  by  his  own 
example,  it  cannot  be  a  matter  of  surprise  that  most 
of  his  followers  should  look  up  to  this  mysterious  art 
with  great  hope  and  reliance,  notwithstanding  he 
lubsequently  marked  the  custom  with  disapprobation. 

*  Knowing  the  aptitude  of  this  most  respectable 
body  to  twist  and  torture  plain  sense,  I  think  it  neces- 
sary to  state,  that  I  mean  down  right  trifling,  how- 
ever they  may  flatter  themselves  that  they  are  all  the 
time  religious  because  they  are  serious. 


262 

not  stop.  The  sweetest  things  will  cloy. 
When  hymns,  ghosts,  witches,  biblioman- 
cy,  and  the  sacred  lottery  have  been  ex- 
hausted, then  comes  on  the  formidable 
fiery  ordeal,  through  which  the  characters 
of  all  within  their  ken,  must  pass.  How 
few  will  pass  unhurt,  I  can  only  imagine, 
by  the  outcry  raised  against  them  for  their 
propensity  to  this  uncharitable,  unchristian- 
like  attack  upon  their  absent  neighbours.* 

The  sapient  gentleman  who  counted  the  number 
of  letters  in  the  old  and  new  Testament,  must  have 
been  one  of  these  amusing  serious  triflers. 

*  I  cannot  confine  this  religious  stricture  to  the 
Methodist ; — I  have  known  women  of  birth  and  for- 
tune, with  no  inconsiderable  share  of  intellect,  after 
having  become  serious,  evangelical,  vital  christians 
(i.  e.  stepping  stoises  to  Methodism,)  turn  out  the 
most  loquacious  gossips  in  the  parish,  entertaining 
their  guests  with  anecdotes  better  calculated  for  a 
tete-a-tete  over  a  washing-tub,  or  the  borachio  of  a 
barber's  shop,  than  a  drawing-room.  I  suppose  it  is 
all  for  the  good  of  our  souls  that  they  endeavour   to 


263 

The  life  of  the  female  Methodist  can  only 
be  paralleled  by  Mrs.  Graham's  description 
of  the  ladies  composing  a  mahomedan 
Haram.  "  They  mutter  their  prayers,  and 
some  of  them  read  the  Koran,  but  not  one 
in  a  thousand  of  them  understands  it. 
They  thread  beads,  plait  coloured  silks, 
sleep,  quarrel,  make  pastry,  and  chew 
betel,  in  the  same  daily  round." 

But  to  return  to  the  object  of  their 
hatred.  If  the  use  of  a  theatre  be  attended 
with  all  the  abominations  described  by  these 
brawling  sons   of  zeal  and  bigotry,    how 


support  a  system  of  family  espionage  throughout  the 
kingdom, — Nay,  if  any  of  these  rich  precise  should 
get  familiar  footing  in  your  house,  they  will  not  only 
tell  you  what  is  passing  under  every  roof  in  the  hun- 
dred, but  will  edify  you  with  gratuitous  lectures  upon 
the  improprieties  of  each  department  in  your  own 
economy. 


264 

comes  it  that  Jesus  and  his  apostles  re- 
main silent  on  the  subject  ?  Why  did  they 
not,  in  express  terms,  forbid  the  use  of  it  ? 
They  have  been  minutely  particular,  not 
only  upon  the  commission  of  crimes,  but 
explicit  in  their  condemnation  of  every 
remote  agent  and  conductor  to  vice.  We 
are  instructed  to  "abstain  from  all  appear- 
ance of  evil."  The  usurpers  of  the  apos- 
tolic mission  trick  out  the  stage,  not  only 
as  the  tempter,  but  actually  the  encourager, 
supporter,  promoter,  and  patron  of  every 
vice.  Surely  their  zealous  fears  either  ag- 
gravate and  over-charge  the  picture,  or  the 
apostles  were  remiss  in  their  duty.  I  leave 
it  to  the  rational  and  truly  religious  to  de- 
cide, which  of  the  parties  are  in  error. 

It  is  a  subject  for  curious  admiration, 
that  in  the  whole  ministration  of  our  blessed 
Saviour  and  his  chosen  followers,  there  is 
no  evidence  of  their  ever  taking  advantage 


Z6b 

of  popular  opinions  to  establish  their  cause, 
or  add  totne  number  of  their  proselytes. 

The  woman  taken  in  adultery;  gathering 
ears  of  corn  on  the  sabbath ;  eating  with 
publicans,  and  a  variety  of  instances,  will 
fully  elucidate  my  assertion. 

Their  silence  upon  the  use  of  a  theatre 
in  Jerusalem  is  another  striking  proof.  An 
establishment  forced  upon  the  inhabitants 
at  the  expence  of  several  lives,  by  Herod 
the  great — an  amusement  so  diametrically 
opposite  to  the  laws  and  customs  of  the 
Jews — an  innovation  so  violent  to  their 
feelings  and  inclinations — must  have  been 
in  a  very  feeble,  precarious  state  ;  particu- 
larly when  it  had  lost  its  founder  and  sup- 
porter by  the  decease  of  Herod. — Yet, 
notwithstanding  the  temptation  to  populari- 
ty, and  the  evident  respect  he  pays  to  the 
customs  of  his  country,  Jesus  passes  it  by 


266 

without  the  slightest  mark  of  condemnation, 
in  which  he  is  imitated  by  the  whoie  of  his 
apostles.* 

The  immediate  followers  of  our  blessed 
Saviour  were  persecuted,  despised,  con- 
temned; sealing  their  belief  in  their  great 
instructor's  doctrine,  by  meekness,  humility, 
forbearance,  charity,  and  death  itself! 
They  endeavoured  to  conquer  the  enemies 
of  their  faith  by  peace  and  good-will.  They 
would  not  destroy  or  anathematise  their 
bitterest  foes,  but  they  were  ready  to  shed 
their  blood  in  defence  of  their  ministration. 
"  Forgive  us  our  sins  as  we  forgive  them 
that  trespass  against  us"  with  them  was  not 
lip-service,  it  was  indelibly  engraved  on 
the  heart — incorporated  itself  with  their 
natures — regulated  their  actions — purified 
their  thoughts — and  endeared  them  to  their 

*Vide  Father  Caffaro's  letter,  p.  108. 


207 

great  exemplar.  Look  at  the  mildness,  the 
simplicity,  the  philanthropy  of  the  apostles; 
their  continual  prayers  and  intercessions 
with  the  Almighty  for  mercy  upon  the  un- 
godly. "  The  primitive  christians  were 
of  a  joyous  as  well  as  of  a  devout  turn  of 
mind.  Being  justified  by  faith  they  had 
peace  with  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  Believing  they  rejoiced  with  joy 
unspeakable  and  full  of  glory." 

Turn  an  eye  upon  our  modern  saints. — 
What  a  contrast ! — An  affected  sternness  of 
manner* — a    brutality     of     behaviour — a 

*  Moreover  when  ye  fast,  be  not  as  the  hypocrites, 
of  a  sad  countenance  ;  for  they  disfigure  their  faces, 
that  they  may  appear  unto  men  to  fast.  Verily  I  say 
unto  you,  they  have  their  reward. 

But  thou  when  thou  fastest,  anoint  thy  head  and 
wash  thy  face,  that  thou  appear  not  unto  men  to  fast, 
but  unto  thy  father  which  is  in  secret,  and  thy  father 
which  seeth  in  secret  shall  reward  thee  openly. 

Matt.  vi.  16,  17,  18. 


26$ 

frantic  bellowing  of  voice,  more  in  unison 
with  an  enthusiastic  priest  of  Bellona,  than 
the  humble  and  meek  attendant  upon  the 
merciful  God  of  peace  and  concord. 
Threatening,  not  soothing ;  denouncing,  not 
praying;  cursing,  not  blessing;  are  the 
marks  of  the  beast  upon  them  !*  They 
cannot  feel  the  genuine  principles  of  Chris- 
tianity. Are  they  not  mislead  by  false 
lights — groping  in  the  dark — insensible 
to  the  divine  emanations  of  its  exalted 
founder ! 

"When  will  the  unbeliever  learn  the 
nature  of  true  religion  from  Jesus  Christ 
himself  and  not  from  those  of  his  (pretend- 


*  But  I  say  unto  you  which  hear,  love  your  ene- 
mies, do  them  good  which  hate  you. 

Bless  them  that  curse  you,  and  pray  for  them  which 
despitefully  use  you. 

Luke  vi.  27,  28. 


209 

edj  disciples  who  retain  little  or  none  of  the 
lineaments  of  the  divine  original." 

But  if  these  self  elected  encroachers 
deserve  reprobation,  what  are  we  to  say  to 
the  contracted  illiberality  of  some  of  the 
ministers  of  the  establishment  ?  What 
language  can  be  sufficiently  strong  to  con- 
demn those  who  have  the  temerity  to  sully 
the  pulpit  of  toleration  with  the  dogmas, 
ravings  and  perplexities  of  these  modern 
corrupters  of  sense,  decency,  grace,  religion 
and  virtue.*  "  Can  words  more  clearly 
express  the  honour  and  worship  we  are  to 
pay  to  God,  or  can  more  familiar  expres- 
sions be  given  in  this  case  than  are  to  be 
found  in  the  gospel?  Is  there  any  thing 
relating  to  divine  worship  that  we  want  in- 


*  Also  of  your  own  selves  shall  men  arise,  speaking 
perverse  things  to  draw  away  disciples  after  th^m 

Acts  xx.  30. 


'270 

structing  in  ?  Are  not  the  duties  which  we 
owe  to  each  other  made  evident  and  plain  ? 
And  can  there  be  any  disputes  about  them, 
except  what  arise  from  lust,  or  avarice,  or 
other  self-interest?*"  Some  of  this  des- 
cription have  had  the  presumption  to  de- 
nounce vengeance,  from  the  rostrum  of 
peace,  upon  those  who  shall  dare  to  enter 
within  the  walls  of  a  playhouse;  notwith- 
standing it  is  an  establishment  built  and 
carried  on  under  the  sanction  of  a  legisla- 
tive act,  and  should  be  considered  property 
as  strongly  secured  from  the  scurrilous 
attacks  of  an  individual,  as  a  banker's — a 


*  I  have  in  my  possesion  some  private  anecdotes 
respecting  church  building  and  pew  letting-,  that  fur- 
nish me  with  ample  retaliation  for  all  the  abuse  lav- 
ished on  us  from  some  pulpits  I  could  mention. — But 
I  forbear;  and  hope  that  those  whom  it  may  concern, 
will  condescend  to  take  a  lesson  from  a  poor  stage 
player. 


271 

merchant's — or  any  other  legal  commercial 
concern.  If  the  power  of  the  legislature 
encourages  and  entitles  me  to  speculate  in 
the  erection  of  a  theatre,  and  I  am  after- 
wards at  the  mercy  of  bigotry,  ignorance, 
or  perhaps  design — I  say  the  law  in  that 
particular  is  defective,  and  I  am  cheated 
with  the  shadow  for  the  substance!  I  again 
avow  and  protest,  that  I  have  the  greatest 
veneration,  respect,  and  esteem  for  the 
clerical  body  at  large;  nor  do  I  intend  to 
ofier  the  smallest  insult  to  those  who  act 
consistently  with  the  tolerant  disposition  of 
the  mildest  church  ever  founded.  I  feel  a 
conviction  the  major  part  of  them  must 
condemn  the  supererrogatory  interference 
of  some  of  their  brethren,  who  interweave 
in  their  discourses  pointed  invectives  and 
bitter  anathemas  against  a  profession  which 
is  sanctioned  by  the  laws  of  the  land,  and 
has  been  strongly  countenanced  by  one  of 


272 

the  most  moral  and  religious  princes   that 
ever  graced  a  throne.* 

In  their  attacks  they  too  frequently  evince 

*  With  such  an  amiable  living-  example  before  our 
eyes,  of  both  religion  and  morality,  a  methodistical 
stage  opponent  has  had  the  temerity  to  propose  the 
following  question  :  "  How  has  it  happened  if  the 
stage  be  the  school  of  virtue,  that  the  most  dissolute 
and  abandoned  of  mankind  are  its  passionate  admirers, 
and  warmest  advocates ;  that  those  who  trample  on 
every  moral  obligation,  and  despise  the  sanctions  of 
religion,  have,  in  every  age,  afforded  the  theatre  their 
most  cordial  support  ?"  This  is  a  happy  specimen  of 
their  disingenuous  mode  of  attack — where  a  man  will 
have  the  effrontery  to  make  a  bold  affirmation,  which 
he  knows  to  be  untrue,  and,  with  all  the  trick  of  cun- 
ning, give  it  the  form  of  an  ingenuous  que  re. 

Let  me  state  the  question  :  *<  How  has  it  happened, 
if  the  stage  be  not  the  school  of  virtue,  that  George 
III.  Addison,  Young,  and  Johnson,  have  given  it  their 
warmest  countenance  and  support?"  But  the  religion 
of  such  men  our  fanatics  cannot  appreciate,  and  their 
morality  they  despise. 


273 

3t  disposition  more  congenial  to  the  fanatic 
field-preacher,  than  to  the  gentleman,  the 
scholar,  or  the  divine,  and  must  call  for 
a  rebuke  sharper  than  it  is  in  my  power  to 
bestow. 

This  must  not  be  considered  irrelevant  to 
the  subject— I  am  pointing  out  the  arch 
enemies  of  my  profession.  They  are  aware 
of  the  ascendency  of  the  stage — they  dread 
it.  They  know  it  is  the  powerful  barrier 
against  an  inundation  of  hypocritical  fana- 
ticism.* 


*  "  To  such  christians  I  would  recommend  consis- 
tency, and  advise  them  never  to  absent  themselves 
from  the  theatre,  when  the  play-bills  announce  for 
performance — The  Hypocrite. 

Let  the  galled  jade  wince  ! 

The  reasons  why  the  ancient  Fathers  wished  to  sup- 
press the  stage,  have   already  been  given  ;  they  do 
honour  to  their  piety,  and  justify  their  zeal  for  the 
T 


274 

To  level  it,  they  apply  all  their  engines 
of  bigotry,  aspersion,  condemnation,  false- 
hood, denunciation,  malice,  hatred,  and  all 
uncharitableness.  They  abhor  satire,  how- 
ever just;  they  tremblingly  shrink  from  an 

establishment  of  Christianity,  over  a  religion  false  as 
it  was  inefficient. 

But  our  modern  zealots,  oppose  it,  "  as  a  step  on  which 
they  must  fall  down,  or  else  o'erleap,"  before  they 
can  accomplish  ther  wish  and  aim  of  domination  in 
religion.  When  the  conference  shall  become  Bishops, 
theu  the  elect  will  triumph,  and  that  they  have  no  ob- 
jection to  episcopacy,  the  reader  will  find  elucidated 
in  Nightingale's  Portraiture  of  Methodism,  page  40 1. 

An  Impromptu  by  the  Rev.  C.   Wesley, 

So  easily  are  bishops  made 

By  man's  or  woman's  whim, 
Wesley  his  hands  on  Coke  hath  laid. 

But  who  laid  hands  on  him  ? 

fooctor  Coke  was  the  Arch  Bishop  of  Columbia 
and  founder  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
America* 


273 

investigation  of  their  principles,  and  would 
gladly  extirpate  the  profession  which  has 
still  honesty  to  expose  vice,  folly,  and  hy- 
pocrisy, under  whatever  garb  they  should 
have  the  presumption  to  appear.  Thus,  as 
the  selfish  promoters  of  their  own  sinister 
ends  at  the  expense  of  taste,  genius,  and 
rational  recreation,  it  is  the  duty  of  every 
honest  man  to  strip  them  of  their  assumed 
holiness — lay  them  open  to  the  world — 
expose  their  baseness  and  corruption — and 
consign  them  to  the  neglect  and  contumely 
they  so  richly  merit. 

Would  I  could  close  my  complaints  on 
religious  interposition  here!  I  have  wit- 
nessed many  lamentable  instances  of  the 
inveterate  disiiKe  ana  the  ungenerous  oppo- 
sition the  stage  experiences  from  the  clergy 
of  the  Romish  persuasion  in  Ireland.  I  am 
inclined  to  hope  it  is  only  from  the  ignorant 
part  of  them  ; — but  my  catfdour  will   not 


27a 

permit  me  to  conceal  that  many  of  them 
take  the  most  unjustifiable  means  to  crush  it. 

Should  this  mode  receive  the  sanction  of 
the  more  enlightened  part  of  them,  I  can 
only  say  it  is  another  and  another  proof  of 
the  fallacy,  inconsistency,  and  weakness  of 
human  nature.  Can  the  same  being  claim 
toleration  for  himself  and  yet  be  intolerant 
toothers? — How  repugnant  to  decency — * 
how  derogatory  to  reason — how  preposter- 
ous to  common  sense  must  it  appear  to 
hear  a  priest,  from  the  altar  of  his  God, 
threaten  his  flock  with  the  privation  of  con- 
fession, communion,  absolution,  and  all  the 
consolations  of  their  religion,  should  they 
presume  to  witness  a  dramatic  representa- 
tion. Is  this  toleration  ?  In  the  full  pleni- 
tude of  power,  with  all  the  aid  of  ecclesi- 
astical vengeance  1  presume 

However,  the  present  delicate  situation  of 


277 

so  large  and  respectable  a  body  as  tbe  Irish 
Roman  Catholics,  prevents  me  from  saying 
more  upon  the  interference  of  their  priests 
in  stage  amusements  :  my  subject  would 
not  permit  me  to  say  less,  nor  can  I  dismiss 
it  without  condemnation  for  the  unchris- 
tian spirit  they  evince  in  their  manner  of 
opposing  a  theatre.  One  of  the  brightest 
ornaments  of  their  persuasion  has  said, 

"That  mercy  I  toother's  show, 
u  That  mercy  show  to  me." 

Strongly,  but  modestly,  would  I  recom- 
mend to  their  serious  attention  the  follow- 
ing conclusion  of  one  of  our  moral  sermons, 
wherein  they  will  perceive  we  are  assistants 
in  their  cause,  though  they  labour  for  our 
extinction. 

4t  Let  us  scorn  to  bow  beneath  the  force 
of  vulgar  prejudice,  and  fold  to  our  hearts, 
as  brethren  in  one  large  embrace,  men  of 


278 

all  ranks,  all  faiths,  all  professions. — The 
soldier  and  the  priest;  the  protestant  and 
the  papist ;  the  prince  and  the  peasant : — 
let  us  believe  them  all  alike  to  be  virtuous, 
till  we  know  them  to  be  criminal,  and  en- 
grave on  our  hearts,  as  the  fi^t  and  noblest 
rule  of  moral  duty  and  of  human  justice, 
those  blessed  words, 

"BE  TOLERANT r 

I  trust  by  my  reference  to  the  holy  word 
for  advice  and  direction  on  this  subject,  I 
shall  have  rescued  it  from  the  power  of 
those  men,  who  by  misrepresentation,  have 
laboured  hard  for  its  destruction. 

When  descanting  on  the  evils  of  the  stage, 
they  create  a  monster,  a  chimera,  and 
amuse  themselves  with  combating  it. — 
They  endeavour  to  alarm,  bully,  and 
frighten  by  the  constant  reiteration  of  tre- 
mendous words. — But  from  such  lips,  and 


279 

in  auch  a  cause,  Hell,  brimstone,  and  ever- 
lasting torments  evince  verbosity  without 
intellect,  and  denunciation  without  terror, 
We  can  apply  to  the  uncorrupted  source. — 
From  that  source  we  can  imbibe  eom.- 
fort  and  consolatioq,  and  fly  to  the  fountain, 
of  grace  for  refuge  from  the  indecent  vio'f- 
lence  of  beings,  perverse,  prejudiced,  and 
uncharitable. 

My  principal  attempt  in  this  feeble  essay 
has  been  to  vindicate  my  brethren  from  the 
odium  bestowed  on  them  by  the  design- 
ing, in  the  first  instance,  and  increased  by 
the  unthinking  and  inconsiderate  in 
the  other.  With  respect  to  the  vehicle 
itself,  I  have  been  anxious  to  prove  that  it 
is  not  prohibited  by  those  who  had  the 
superior  right  of  removing  it  from  the  list  of 
human  inventions.  I  still  profess  myself 
opeu  to  conviction  with  respect  to  its  being 


280 

congenial,  or  inimical,  to  the  interests  of 
virtue  and  morality.  I  do  not  mean  to 
court  controversy,  for  my  own  sake — No. 
*— I  hope  to  resign  it  into  better  hands.  I 
wish  to  excite  the  learned  and  ingenious  to 
the  contest,  with  the  strong  belief  and  de- 
sire of  reaping  considerable  profit.  But 
had  I  the  power  to  dictate,  I  would  confine 
the  contending  parties  to  the  last  century, 
a  space  sufficiently  extended  to  establish 
the  point.  I  would  earnestly  entreat  them 
to  avoid  broad,  round  assertions,  provoking 
nothing  but  spite  and  malice.  I  would  de- 
precate the  idea  of  their  taking  shelter  in 
theatrical  condemnations  of  ages  past.  They 
may  as  well  recommend  the  history  of 
witchcraft  to  determine  the  principle  of  the 
air  baloon.  To  wade  through  such  stuff  is 
"a  miserable  waste  of  precious  time,  and 
an  enormous  blasphemy  against  reason." 

Among  the  modern  objectors,  some  re- 


281 

present  the  stage  "to  be  at  best  but  a 
trifling  am usement.''  Others  say,  "That 
the  play-house  is  the  resort  of  the  idle,  the 
yicious,  and  the  dissipated."  "  That  the 
promiscuous  mixture  is  a  deplorable  cir- 
cumstance." 

With  respect  to  the  first  objection,  we 
trace  its  origin  to  persons,  ignorant  of  hu- 
man nature,  as  incapable  of  judging,  as 
they  are  of  feeling*-  Religious  Utopians, 
who  would  banish  all  amusements  as  agents 
unworthy  of  participating  in  the  reveries, 
occupying  their  elevated  minds,  and  dero- 
gatory to  the  principles  of  their  evangelical 
seriosity.  Had  they  not,  in  conjunction 
with  other  enemies,  subverted  the  intention 
of  a  theatre,  by  abusing  and  depreciating 
it,  in  the  opinion  of  the  million,  it  would 
be   found  capable  of  much  nobler  efforts 

*  Vide  page  140. 


282 

than  mere  amusement.  Still,  even  in  that 
humble  point  of  view,  its  advantages  are 
great,  for  as  the  experience  of  ages  has 
proved  that  mankind  must  have  their  hours 
of  relaxation,  where  is  the  agent  capable 
of  affording  it  in  so  exalted  a  degree? 
The  numerous  enemies  to  the  drama  have 
so  completely  abridged  its  utility,  that  very 
few  indeed  are  alive  to  its  monitory  effects, 
or  its  purifying  capability.  A  man  maybe 
corrected  of  an  error  in  a  theatre,  as  he  may 
be  reformed  in  the  church.  In  both  in- 
stances, there  must  be  at  all  events — at- 
tention and  respect.  But  we  are  fre- 
quently obliged  to  console  ourselves  with 
the  idea  that  we  have  sent  away  a  careless 
audience,  at  any  rate  not  worse  than  we 
found  them.  If  I  may  believe  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Cookson,  the  same  complaint  is  too 
applicable  to  the  churches.  He  says  in  his 
Family  Bible,  "A  preacher  cannot  look 
around  from  the  pulpit,  without  observing 


283 

that  some  are  in  a  perpetual  whisper,  and 
by  their  air  and  gesture  giving  occasion  to 
suspect  that  they  are  in  those  very  minutes 
defaming  their  neighbours;  others,  per- 
haps, to  gratify  the  most  unwarrantable 
desires,  have  their  eyes  and  their  imagina- 
tion constantly  engaged  in  such  a  circle  of 
objects,  that  they  never  once  attend  to 
the  business  of  the  place;  some  have  their 
minds  wandering  among  idle,  worldly,  or 
vicious  thoughts  ;  some  lie  at  catch  to  ri- 
dicule whatever  they  hear,  and  with  much 
wit  and  humour  provide  a  stock  of  laugh- 
ter, by  furnishing  themselves  from  the 
pulpit.  But  of  all  misbehaviour,  none  is 
comparable  to  that  of  those  who  come  to 
the  house  of  God  to  sleep."  Acts  xxi. 

"  The  play-house  is  the  resort  of  the  idle, 
the  vicious,  and  the  dissipated  ;"  so  is  every 
Methodist  meeting  house  in  the  kingdom, 
as  well   as  every  other  large   assemblage. 


284 

The  idle,  form  an  incorrigible  class,  posses- 
sing no  resources  within  themselves  ;  they 
congregate  in  herds,  with  the  dismaying 
hope,  each  neighbour  will  assist  the  other 
in  the  destruction  of  time  and  reflection. 
I  welcome  them  to  the  theatre,  from  the 
strong  persuasion  that  they  are  employing 
their  hours  more  rationally  there  than  they 
would  in  many  other  places.  The  vicious 
and  the  dissipated  we  cannot  preclude,  nor 
will  I  abandon  the  hope,  (until  I  receive 
proof  to  the  contrary,)  that  we  sometimes 
are  the  agents  to  awake  them  from  their 
lethargy,  and  animate  them  to  pursuits 
more  becoming  the  dignity  of  human  na- 
ture. 

For  those  wretched  unfortunates,  over 
whom  reflection  must  weep,  and  for  whom 
morality  must  sic>h,  whose  vices  delicacy 
cannot  conceal,  nor  liberality  defend  ;  the 
miserable  fate  of  whom  I  would  not  myself 


285 

aggravate  by  one  wanton  or  harsh  reflec- 
tion ; — yet  they  have  been  the  fatal  cause  of 
furnishing  our  enemies  with  objections 
against  us,  which  they  conceived  irrefra- 
gable, and  accusations,  unjust,  as  they  are 
illiberal.  They  charge  us  with  encouraging 
the  crime,  and  increasing  the  number  of  the 
guilty*.  Yet  reflection  and  enquiry  would 
soon  convince  them  of  their  error. 


*I  have  lately  perused,  with  great  satisfaction,  an 
excellent  sermon  upon  the  heinous  crime  of  seduc- 
tion. It  was  preached  in  behalf  of  an  Institution 
at  once  beneficial  to  the  public,  and  highly  honoura- 
ble to  the  character  of  its  supporters.  But  1  must 
confess,  I  was  more  than  astonished  to  find  our  pro- 
fession escape  without  an  invective,  particularly  when 
I  considered,  that  the  reverend  gentleman  is  too  apt 
to  wander  out  of  his  subject,  for  the  express  purpose 
of— (I  was  going  to  say)— abusing  us.  But,  what 
was  more  gratifying,  the  appendix,  containing  a  list 
of  unfortunate  sacrifices  to  the  depravity  and  cruelty 
of  man,  does  not  furnish  one  instance  of  the  deluded 


286 

Let  them  investigate  the  numbers  of  un- 
fortunates in  our  country  towns,  and  they 
will  discover  that  they  exist  in  an  equal  pro- 
portion, in  places  where  the  Methodists, 
the  Evangelical,  and  the  serious  are  pre- 
dominant. Step  out  of  our  own  Island, 
and  look  into  Holland,  where  the  drama  is 
in  a  very  humble  state,  and  they  will  find 
even  licensed  abodes  for  the  reception 
and  accommodation  of  this  much  to  be 
lamented  class.  Even  centuries  before  the 
invention  of  the  dramatic  art,  we  find  the 
wisest  man  of  antiquity  describing  the  sub- 
tle display  of  meretricious  charms,  and 
shewing  the  degenerate  Jewish  fair  not  a 
whit  inferior  in  cunning  to  her  frail  sister, 
in  the  enlightened  regions  of  Christianity. 

"  For  at  the  window  of  my  house  I  looked 

fair  having  been  prepared  for  her  degraded  situation, 
by  her  attendance  upon  a  theatre. 


287 

through  the  casement,  and  behold  among 
the  simple  ones,  I  discerned  among  the 
youths,  a  young  man  void  of  understand- 
ing, passing  through  the  street  near  her 
corner,  and  he  went  the  way  to  her  house, 
in  the  twilight,  in  the  evening,  in  the  black 
and  dark  night;  and  behold  there  met  him 
a  woman,  with  the  attire  of  a  harlot,  and 
subtle  of  heart,  (she  is  loud  and  stubborn, 
her  feet  abideth  not  in  her  house  ;  now  she 
is  without,  now  in  the  streets,  and  lieth  in 
wait  at  every  corner.)  So  she  caught  him, 
and  kissed  him,  and  with  an  impudent  face 
said  unto  him.  I  have  peace- offerings  with 
me  ;  this  day  have  I  paid  my  vows  :  there- 
fore come  I  forth  to  meet  thee,  diligently  to 
seek  thy  face,  and  I  have  found  thee.  I 
have  decked  my  bed  with  coverings  of  ta- 
pestry, with  carved  works,  with  fine  linen 
of  Egypt.  I  have  perfumed  my  bed  with 
myrrh,  aloes,  and  cinnamon.  Come,  let 
us  take  our  fill  of  love  until  the  morning; 


288 

let  us  solace  ourselves  with  loves;  for  the 
good  man  is  not  at  home,  he  is  gone  a 
lout;  journey ;  he  hath  taken  a  bag  of  money 
with  him,  and  will  not  come  home  at  the 
day  appointed.  With  her  much  fair  speech 
she  caused  him  to  yield,  with  the  flattering 
of  her  lips  she  forced  him.  Her  house  is 
the  way  to  Hell,  going  down  to  the  cham- 
bers of  death."     Prov.  vii. 

I  have  endeavoured  to  establish,  and  I 
trust  satisfactorily,  that  the  stage,  even  with 
the  impediments  of  beggary  and  contume- 
ly, does  not  tend  to  vitiate  the  principles  of 
the  professors;  on  the  contrary,  from  the 
instances  I  have  produced,  it  has  a  tenden- 
cy to  improve  their  morals,  strengthen  their 
fortitude,  increase  their  stock  of  intel- 
lectual acquirements,  and  render  them  eve- 
ry way  more  worthy  the  support  and  appro- 
bation of  the  wise  and  good.  The  influ- 
ence the  stage  will,  or  may  have,  upon  a 


289 

nation  at  large,  T  humbly  conceive  can  be 
best  known  by  taking  a  survey  of  the  present 
state  of  it  through  Europe.  The  profession 
is  received  and  adopted  in  England,  the 
United  States  of  America,  France,  Italy,. 
Spain,  Germany,  Holland,  and  Russia.  In 
the  three  first,  it  is  rooted,  fixed,  encouraged, 
and  admired; — in  the  fourth,  it  is  degene- 
rated into  sing-song  and  spectacle  ; — in  the 
fifth,  it  is  tolerated ; — in  the  sixth  it  is 
warmly  supported; — in  the  seventh  it  is  re- 
ceived with  indifference;—- in  the  eighth,  it 
has  a  partial  footing.  In  Sweden  and  Den- 
mark, it  languishes.  In  Turkey  it  is  not  to 
be  found.  The  state  of  learning,  refine- 
ment, taste,  genius,  and  religion  of  each 
particular  nation,  is  pretty  generally  known. 
Their  virtues  and  their  vices — their  civili- 
zation or  their  barbarism.  I  shall  not 
therefore  trespass  upon  the  time  or  patience 
of  my  reader,  by  tracing  its  progress 
through  the  ^different  countries,  or  weary 
U 


290 

him  with  proofs  of  the  influence  it  may 
have  had  in  rendering  them  great,  or  deba- 
sing them  in  the  scale.  It  is  riot  for  rue  to 
determine,  whether  the  people  of  each  dis- 
trict have  reformed  the  stage,  or  the  stage 
reformed  the  people.  I  can  only  say,  that  I 
turn  witha  lively  gratification  to  the  survey 
of  Europe,  and  I  find  those  the  greatest,  the 
wisest,  and  the  most  prosperous  of  nations 
where  the  drama  exists  in  vigour — where  it 
is  encouraged,  supported,  and  admired — 
where  the  selfish  efforts  of  the  prejudiced 
cannot  destroy  it — nor  the  malignant  con- 
demnation of  fanaticism  extirpate  it! 

I  know  it  has  heen  urged  as  an  argument 
against  the  use  of  the  stage,  that  even  some 
of  its  most  strenous  advocates  are  obliged 
to  recommend  the  necessity  of  strong 
curbs,  to  check  its  improper  progress.  This 
is  futile  to  the  extreme,  the  more  powerful 
the  agent,  the  more  imperious  the  necessity 


291 

for  curbs  and  checks.  We  must  be  aware 
things  salutary  in  their  proper  course,  if 
carried  beyond  their  just  bounds,  degene- 
rate into  the  most  noxious  and  offensive 
properties.  Without  a  controuling  power, 
liberty  is  disgraced  by  licentiousness — love 
by  sensuality  and  voluptuousness — wit 
becomes  ribaldry — charity  profuseness — 
hospitality  ostentation — religion  absurdity 
and  philanthropy  weakness. 

Without  a  curb,  there  would  always  be 
found  abandoned  poets,  who  would  readily 
place  in  a  degrading  point  of  view,  talent, 
honour,  and  virtue. 

We  need  not  go  to  the  Athenian  stage  for 
proofs,  our  own  country  will  furnish  us  with 
examples  in  abundance,  to  evince  the 
abasement  of  genius,  in  prostituting  its 
energies  to  spiteful  invective  and  invidious 
satire.     And,  as  we  know  there  are  men, 


292 

who,  for  their  own  private  advantages  and 
their  own  selfish  emoluments,  will,  under 
the  garb  of  religion,  commit  the  most  fla- 
grant acts  against  simple  morality ;  so  are 
we  convinced  there  are  others,  who,  under 
the  shelter  of  the  drama,  would  give  the 
most  fatal  stabs  to  order,  decency,  virtue, 
and  every  thing  precious  to  the  common 
weal.  To  guard  against  such  intruders, 
curbs  become  absolutely  necessary. 

The  principal  faults  of  our  present  stage 
I  conceive  to  originate  from  three  sources. 
Fust,  from  the  illiberal  opinions  entertained 
against  the  professors.  Secondly,  from  the 
inattention  of  the  legislature  to  its  stability 
and  support.  Thirdly,  the  cold  and  more 
than  affected  indifference  of  the  learned 
bodies  to  its  progress  and  welfare.  Let  the 
government  watch  over  the  stage  that  it 
does  not  promulgate  principles  detrimental 
to  the  grand  interests  of  a  well  organized 


293 

state.  The  patriot  observe  it  closely,  that 
it  breathes  nothing  hostile  to  the  principles 
of  the  constitution,  or  inimical  to  the  genu- 
ine pure  flame  of  liberty.  Let  religion 
condescend  to  mark  that  it  presumes  not  to 
infringe  upon  her  hallowed  rites.  Let 
morality  keep  a  fixed  and  jealous  eye  upon 
the  vehicle,  which  can  so  materially  aid  or 
injure  her  dearest  interests;  let  the  whole 
combine  to  purify  it  from  its  errors,  and 
make  it,  as  it  was  ever  intended,  the  engine 
of  improvement,  relaxation,  and  instruc- 
tion. "  To  hold,  as  it  were  the  mirror  up  to 
nature,  to  show  virtue  her  own  feature, 
scorn  her  own  image,  and  the  very  age  and 
body  of  the  time  his  form  and  pressure." 

Above  all,  be  banished  far  the  ill-founded 
prejudice  against  the  professors.  Let  not 
actor  and  dissipation — player  and  debauch- 
ery— be  considered  as  synonimous.  Don't 
enquire  what  he  is?  but  how  he  conducts 
himself,  and  there  would  soon  be  discover- 


294 

ed  as  many  valuable  members  composing 
the  theatrical  fraternity  as  any  other. 

It  would  then  be  found  histrionical  pur- 
suits do  not  vitiate  the  mind — nor  the  pro- 
fession tend  to  the  corruption  of  its  princi- 
ples. 

From  all  T  can  collect  upon  the  subject, 
by  reading,  discussion,  observation,  and 
experience,  I  feel  myself  authorised  to 
aifirm,  that  a  well  regulated  stage  would  be 
ever  serviceable  to  mankind,  an  able  assis- 
tant to  religion,  a  strong  stimulus  to  mo- 
rality, a  rigid  inculcator  of  virtue,  a  soother 
and  corector  of  the  vindictive  passions,  a 
moderator  and  promoter  of  the  gentler 
ones,  and  a  powerful  agent  in  the  hands  of 
a  wise  legislator  for  forming  a  nation  to  eve- 
ry thing 

GREAT  and  GOOD. 

THE  END. 


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